sneakster: pseudo-nouveau sneakster: pseudo-nouveau (Bella Union - 1999) While you're quite possibly unfamiliar with sneakster (until now), you've probably heard of Mark Clifford from his days with Seefeel. Joined with Sophie Hinkley, the duo have recently debuted with pseudo-nouveau. While not ambient, the disc combines artful electronics, hip percussion and softly crooning fem vocals into a smoothly accessible whole. I offer the term "etherealounge" to blanket the majority of these slow-burning mixtures of drumbeats and silky, almost-wordless voice. While the busy mid-tempo percussion is undeniable, Sophie's soft wail dominates whileaway, her voice serpentining seductively around a muted organ riff and synth string passages. Moodily smoldering (but not beating) fireheart (5:54) sneaks in with a quiet intro, to be joined by a hypnotic four-note synthcycle beneath vocal drifts. Gritty cymbal splats and low, moaning synthtones break into splinters, where vocal shards are interjected with a grungily soulful sense of anguish. Instrumental full of echoes mixes a woodwindy warble with ghostly guitar and faint percussion. Multi-tracked voice layers intertwine with wafting synth, cymbal patters in stolen letter. Another vocal-free outing, trust&blush (1:54) slips between guitars strings and electronics which phase in and out intermittently, rosily glowing overall. The oscillating woodwindy waves of static are stirred by cymbals, then topped with faint voice and sparse keyboard chords. More forceful and infused with a buzzily grooving synth, heavy heat, heavy time is a sultry number, wherein sung phrases are draped with flutey strands and backed by a determined rhythm section. A thin shimmering veil falls upon the place where beats, bass, electronics and wafting vocals merge into a sweet melody. Hinkley's voice spreads in elongated whisps as Clifford's keyboards are transmuted into a glistening, rising fountain. As the title itself may indicate, pseudo-nouveau isn't necessarily "new", but is well-rendered enough to shine with brightness and energy like neon glowing across a smoky nightspot. sneakster brings out the best of Mark Clifford and Sophie Hinkley, scoring an 8.0 for their nocturnal emission of electronics and voice. This review posted August 28, 1999 AmbiEntrance © 1999-97 by David J Opdyke (except CD cover art, rights retained by original owners).