Danish producer Anders Trentemøller (better known as simply Trentemøller) teamed up with artists such as Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino, Ghost Society and Sune Rose Wagner of The Raveonettes to create his third studio album, Lost. This marks a new era for the producer as he distances himself further and further from his 2006 debut, The Last Resort, as well as departing from the rock undertones which were very present in 2010’s Into The Great Wide Yonder. While one can respect his need as a musician to evolve, Lost is noticeably more abstract than his two previous releases, and a good portion of the record’s tracks are repetitive. It appears Trentemøller is more focused on attempting to throw off his audience with his ever-changing sound than the music itself.
Lost opens with “The Dream,” which features Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk of Low, and as the title may suggest, can lull a listener into a sleepy, dreamlike state. This continues through the majority of the tracks. Many of the songs seem to come straight from one of the films Trentemøller has scored and would fit better in the background of a desolate movie scene rather than on his LP.
With that said, there are some gems. “Still On Fire” is dark and industrial, reverting back into the danceable club sound to which many of his early fans wish for him to return. “Gravity,” which features Jana Hunter on vocals, successfully blends eerie textures with a unique form of indie electronic pop. The same can be said of “Trails,” which splits from dark, catchy basslines into lighthearted synths toward the end of the song. Yet overall, these few exceptions cannot overcome the overdone Casio loops found on “Constantinople,” “Never Stop Running” and “Morphine.”
In A Word: Forced
