Too Much Of A Good Thing?
Victor Bermon is a man on a mission, one to save a dieing musical species, the art of laid back romantic electronica. It's the sound to chill out to, the sound to unwind to and a sound that is often overlooked or swept under the carpet, failing to have the ability to grab the headlines that the likes of the Emo or New Rave waves of hysteria achieve. As admirable as his mission may be there is a sense that the man hailing from Perth, Australia might just be fighting a losing a battle for although his latest album, Arriving At Night, oozes grace and mellow tranquillity, ultimately it is likely to find a place in the hearts of those already in love with the genre rather than winning over the next generation.
'Farewell Lunch For Laura' elegantly sets the tone for Bermon's latest collection of work as romantically tinged melodies weave amongst soothing beats to help relieve the stress of the day. Creating a vast sound scape that almost paints a picture before your eyes; 'Farewell Lunch For Laura' relinquishes the use of lyrics in favour of simply allowing the music to do the talking. Indeed this is Bermon's intention throughout Arriving At Night as he chooses to relegate the sometimes over use of lyrics to tell his stories, instead leaving it up to the listener to interpret his melodies for themselves and as such create their own stories purely from his charmingly romantic music. In doing this Bermon has been able to craft an album brimming with tracks that effortlessly portray cinematic splendour, offering a sound of vastness and purity that is both relaxing and alluring with the likes of 'Portrait' seeming to brandish a simplistic beauty that somehow holds a sinister note owing to the inclusion of a menacing bass line that lurks throughout.
However, with the positives come the negatives and for all the exquisiteness and serenity offered by Bermon there comes a sense of having heard it before. Arriving At Night sadly begins to blend into one uninterrupted slice of chilled out mellowness that fails to hold your attention. Bermon certainly has a gift for creating romantic tinged melodies that release a gorgeous wave of laid back tranquillity but there comes a point when you are as relaxed as you are going to get and from here on in Arriving At Night unfortunately melts into the background, unable to reel you back in for one last song.
Bermon may be on a mission to save the next generation from losing his chosen musical art form and initially there is a sense that he could at least convert a couple of young scallywags to his way of thinking. In the end though, Arriving At Night lacks the ability to retain your attention, leaving your mind instead to wander making this an album perhaps suitable only for those in desperate need of a stress reliever. Beauty and grace abound but sometimes there can be too much of a good thing.