Foreign Cinema, Non-Synchronous Sound

Foreign Cinema’s Non-Synchronous Sound EP is pretty low-key. The four songs, “Arbitrary Map Mode,” “At the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea,” “Ice Machine,” and “Lovers and Killers,” have creative names but little to offer in the creative department, as far as the music goes. The music fits into the shoegaze category, so for those who enjoy this genre, the CD may be satisfactory. This style can be done quite well, but the problem is that Sigur Ros has already done it, and their long, drawn-out songs build into new territory that Foreign Cinema’s songs never reach. Once one track fades away, the next song begins, and the CD finishes quickly without leaving a mark behind. All tracks sound relatively the same: light, sleepy, and atmospheric, with almost no vocals.

Foreign Cinema comes from the UK. The band’s two members, frontman/guitarist Dave Han and bassist Natty D, are featured on the CD cover in black and white, one on the front and the other on the back, lending a laid-back feel which compliments their sound. They represent themselves in a way which doesn’t serve to surprise the listener when the music begins. This is their first official release, which may be a reason for its simplicity. The emphasis for this band is clearly on the calming sound of the music, which is great to play in the background but doesn’t necessarily push someone to see them live or purchase a CD. After listening to it, I found I could easily forget it by tomorrow, if not a few hours later.