Aside from some soundtrack material during the 2010s,
Dreaming
is
Michael Rother
's first solo effort since
Remember (The Great Adventure)
was released in 2004. That album marked a departure from his extensive back catalog, being his most collaborative solo work, as well as his most purely electronic, exploring a form of dreamy ambient pop. On
,
Rother
fleshes out sketches dating from the
Remember
sessions, preserving some of that album's feel while fusing it with traces of his past work and pushing into further directions.
Sophie Joiner
, one of
's two guest vocalists along with German rock superstar
Herbert Groenemeyer
(who runs
Groenland Records
, home to the
and
Harmonia
discographies), reprises her role on
, and her breezy, unforced flow provides an extra layer of comfort (and sometimes emotional pull) to
's languid, effervescent soundscapes. Opener "Dreaming" resembles a warm summer day spent gently floating down a river, perhaps while under chemical enhancement, as the vocals and electronic textures are laced with trippy effects. "Bitter Tang" is a
Groenemeyer
-less revisit of
highlight "Morning After (Loneliness)," with subtle trip-hop rhythms and crunchy guitars underscoring
Joiner
's wistful lyrics, keeping things on the pleasantly dazed side. The astonishing "Fierce Wind Blowing" and slightly less stirring "Out in the Rain" share the same lyrics, and both recall
Lamb
at their most affectionate. Tracks like "Hey Hey" and "Lovely Mess" are soothing, carefree balm, while the concluding "Quiet Dancing" is a
Julee Cruise
-style ethereal lullaby, gracefully drifting into the night. ~ Paul Simpson