If you hadn't noticed, 4AD's been going through a bit of a rough period lately. The last two years have seen less than five new artists signed to the once-esteemed UK label's roster, of which few have seemed genuinely worthwhile. Fortunately, they've at least got Magnétophone going for them, even if the band may seem displaced among the likes of Kristin Hersh, Mojave 3, and His Name is Alive.

The duo of Matt Saunders and John Hanson have been putting out music since 1997, beginning with a self-released Tandy C30 cassette titled The Amazing Aquatic Humans. Those lucky enough to obtain one of the existing 25 copies likely bitched about its sound quality. (And you think Maxell UR-Type I's suck.) A couple of 7 and 12" vinyl slabs later, they wound up at the mercy of 4AD head Ivo Watts-Russell, who, as the story goes, guided them in cuffs to The Lair where they were forced to engage in homoerotic rituals with the guy from Dead Can Dance. I don't know whether or not any of that's true, but it if were, it would nicely explain titles like, "Machine Surrender/Milk of the Commander" and "Why Stop When It Feels So Good?"

I Guess Sometimes I Need to Be Reminded of How Much You Love Me collects much of the material Magnétophone recorded between 1998 and 2000, and serves as a fine demonstration of the Macintosh Powerbook's sonic capabilities, and the concept of IDM sound-collage assembly. Consisting largely of heavily melodic ambient drones, the songs are usually beaten into submission by layers of fractured, distorted beats.

"Oh Darlin'" opens Reminded with full, swirling drones, ghostly processed vocals, and treble-heavy digital percussion that sporadically comes to unexpected, dizzying halts. "Humdahh" is a moment of unsettling ambience, recorded at low levels, and incorporates melting piano chords that drop in pitch and speed before glitchily looping. The two-part "Temporary Lid/Georgia" begins with rumbling, skittering beats and kaleidoscopic keyboard tones, then channels Wish You Were Here-era Pink Floyd through glowing Moog synths. "Air Methods," meanwhile, is the only track able to justify a seven-plus minute duration. Its crisp, chattering typewriter rhythm and subtle mechanical thump keep time while a vintage organ generates warm analog streams. And then the guitars come in.

Sadly, I Guess Sometimes I Need to Be Reminded of How Much You Love Me too often falls into the typical pitfalls of edge-of-millennium electronic music. Over the course of its seemingly infinite 65-minute runtime, Magnétophone's formula rarely varies, and many of the songs blur together. Also, too many tracks trudge along aimlessly for up to nine minutes when a more digestible three or four would have been more than sufficient. "Frankholmes' Drive" and "So Much as Hold My Hand" are the primary offenders of length, presenting little in the way of modification, and sequenced almost like bookends near the beginning and end of the album.

Of course, such inconsistency is standard practice in this genre, and the peaks on Reminded are among some of the better IDM tracks in recent memory. But if this music sounds suspiciously like something you've heard before, you're not mistaken. While Magnétophone do generate some truly beautiful moments, they can hardly be termed groundbreaking. But then again, sometimes it's nice to bask in what the present has made possible. Innovation is a tremendously appealing trait, but it's not always a necessary element in the creation of enjoyable music. And for now, Magnétophone seem happier exploring current electronic subgenres than inventing their own.

-Ryan Schreiber