Airs of the Ear could have been an annoyingly precious or boring album if
Richard Youngs didn't manage to get it just right. The vocals are breathy and mournful; the fingerpicked guitar lines provide a minimal, repetitive framework for the songs; the sound effects tend to be discordant and spacy (as you might expect from someone who uses ring modulation, square wave, and theremin); and the album contains only five songs, including one that lasts over 17 minutes. But the psychedelic folk tunes are suitably pretty, the repetition seems deliberately trancelike instead of self-indulgently aimless, and
Youngs knows how to overdub guitars and work with effects to cultivate the desired mood. Granted, there is still a chance that you may feel sleepy by the time "Machaut's Dream" finishes. But if you're a fan of
Youngs' previous work or are interested in intimate, folk-inspired experimental rock, then you may find this album captivating. ~ Todd Kristel