I have to confess that until I opened the bio that accompanied this release I had no idea that Melbourne-based instrumental / downtempo trio All India Radio were up to their fourth album in total; I’d come across them previously on the strength of their gorgeous contribution to Evolutionary Vibes 5 ‘Eyes Ahead, Don’t Turn Around’ alongside Don Meers as well as their self-titled third album, which I’d taken to be a particularly well-formed debut at the time. Initially formed back in 1998 by founder member Martin Kennedy, All India Radio was originally born when Kennedy took a friend’s badly recorded tape of Indian streetsounds and added drums and bass, apparently inspired primarily by The KLF’s classic ambient offering ‘Chill Out.’ Over the ensuing years, the addition of Ben Sims and Mark Wendt swelled All India Radio to its current three-piece incarnation, and in many senses, All India Radio’s previous self-titled album represented a breakthrough record for the band, with tracks being used for US television and the album itself receiving an ARIA nomination in 2003. This latest fourth album ‘Echo Other’ follows on the heels of significant international acclaim and shows the trio bringing in an outside producer for the first time, with Byron Scullin (High Pass Filter, Bif(tek), Wolf Creek OST) being responsible for the final production and mix.

After a slowly building ambient intro comprised of blissful, warm sounding synth drones that carries more than a hint of the portentousness of classic prog (that’s Tangerine Dream in this case, not Digweed), first single ‘Four Three’ opens proceedings with lazy sounding steel guitar bends gradually emerging into focus over a lush downbeat backing of slow live drums, washing ambient synth tones and wheezing live bass, some truly incandescent and treacherously shifting strings casting an epic, film score-tinged atmosphere worthy of one of Morricone’s more cosmically-inclined moments around Selina Cross’ drifting chanteuse vocals. It’s truly one of the most show-stopping moments on this disc, straight out of the gate, burnished post-country rock atmosphere and all. ‘The Time’ ventures forward out of contemplative droning synth harmonics and the distant pulse of heartbeat-like sub-bass into intimately-miked acoustic guitar flourishes and almost hypnotic background vocal harmonies, before shifting into crashing slow live drums reminiscent of ‘Mezzanine’-era Massive Attack, vast strings shifting as they add emotional impetus to Chloe Hall’s fragile-sounding sweet vocals, before appropriately-titled track ‘The Quiet Ambient’ manages to inject some slightly ominous and moody atmosphere, with vast synths that call to mind Eno’s work on ‘The Joshua Tree’ shimmering their way over a rich backdrop of cellos, slow programmed beats and effortlessly warm steel guitar fretwork – think Eno meets J.J. Cale and you’re perhaps getting close.

‘Mexicola’ meanwhile carries more than a stray hint of ‘Wish You Were Here’-era Pink Floyd around its edges, with slow metronomic beats clicking beneath a spectral backdrop of slow bluesy guitar bends, Richard Wright-esque wandering Moogs and Fender Rhodes, while airy vocal harmonies flit through the empty spaces between the contemplative instruments and downtempo programmed beats, which gradually gather impetus as the track unfolds in its full instrumental richness, a disembodied sounding bell sample bringing everything to a sudden prog-rock-esque halt. Title track ‘Echo Other’ offers more of a present, lurking synthetic edge, with buzzing Eno-esque pads that sound like they’ve come straight off a DX7 adding widescreen atmosphere to squealing, cosmic-sounding Moog solos as vaguely New Wave-informed keyboard lines slowly shimmer beneath echoing samples of what sounds like a Speak N’ Spell toy repeatedly spitting out random words such as ‘foxtrot’, ‘bird’ and finally ‘believe.’ ‘Echo Other’ is certainly another strong album from All India Radio that shows producer Byron Scullin’s production input contributing new levels of detail and richness to their overall sound. While ‘Echo Other’ certainly contains more than its fair share of sublime moments, I couldn’t help but feel at points that slightly more variety perhaps would have been welcome, as the instrumental palette deployed is pretty much the same on all the tracks, resulting in a slight sense of meandering repetition at points. Still, with chilled background late night listening perhaps being the best way to take in ‘Echo Other’, that’s perhaps not going to be a problem for too many. Pack your lava lamp.

Check out www.allindiaradio.com.au