Rogue Element & Solo Rare Tracks Vol 1 Play:    Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi (Excerpt from track 'Reflections of the Mews') £ 12.95

CDR / 6 tracks / 62.38 mins

The opener ‘Sharp Blue’ is a lovely deeply analogue sounding short atmospheric piece that really acts like an introduction to the album. ‘La Grange Point’ follows on in such a similar fashion that it could easily have been cross-faded with the previous track and you wouldn’t have seen the join. Slow drums appear just after the half way mark but this is still laid back relaxing stuff. Gentle melodies waft through the ether for ‘Galgate’. A sequence starts up flowing from one pattern to the next then a second line of pulsations comes to join it. Even so things are fairly restrained. My favourite part, however, is after the half way mark where the sequences die away and a lovely meandering lead line becomes the main feature. ‘Emerald Shard’ has a dark sinister beginning full of electronic twitters and whooshes. Vast reverberating notes increase the tension still further then an almost weeping mellotron adds a touch of melancholy. An absolutely stonking heavy sequence roles forward, the tron responding with equal vigour. What an absolutely superb track. ‘Shallow Bay Events’ has an almost classical sounding beginning with excellent synth flute lead. This is still a decidedly electronic track though with cosmic twitters and ethereal pads. A slow four-note sequence firmly stamps its Berlin School credentials then a second sequence joins in and the pace quickens a little. By now the mellotron had become an indispensable part of the Rogue Element sound and its use is certainly effective here. The sequences subside for us to wallow in a sea of analogue sounds for a while before the bubbling pulsation return to finish. ‘Reflections of the Mews’ begins with the crash of a gong then swirling atmospherics. A beautiful but mournful lead meanders over the gentle backing. It’s all change in the fourth minute as the best sequence / mellotron combination on the whole album takes centre stage. An infectious groove is developed that had my feet moving to the irresistible pulsations. This is all achieved with the sequence alone, without the aid of any drums. Fantastic stuff. It’s an excellent number. With each track the standard just got better and better. It’s an album which provides an interesting insight into the development of Rogue Element and thus the music of Brendan Pollard himself. Tracks are in chronological order covering the years 1994 to 1999. DL

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