There was a time when the border between electronic and organic music wasn't this blurry. Organic music was planted firmly in position, while electronic was a whisper-– the wistful dreams of experimenters and nuts. Those crossing into the new territory rarely looked back to tradition; those choosing to stay put had a tough time understanding. Both Lou Reed and Neil Young were roundly boxed for their pioneering attempts (Metal Machine Music and Trans, respectively).

Over the years, however, electronic music has taken root. Now artists like Beth Orton and Dot Allison cross the border carelessly and often unknowingly, taking electronic music's range of sounds and textures and applying them to traditional organic song structures. Japancakes-- the brainchild of Athens, Georgia's Eric Berg-- approach it from the other side, dragging their drums, fiddles and slide guitars into more symphonic ambient formations.

Considering that Berg originally banded the outfit for the purposes of playing a single D note for 45 straight minutes gives you an idea of where these guys are coming from. But If I Could See Dallas offers a more complete, and thankfully, more varied insight. Basically, Berg and company pick up a hook, look at it kind of funny, sniff at it, and turn it around in their hands. They speed it up, slow it down, and tweak it slightly this way and that, but they keep playing it, creating closed loop waves of atmosphere. Traditional folk instruments (aided by synths) are used in the organic sense to provide melody, but also in the ambient sense of providing texture. It's like they've lifted an instrumental interlude out of a country tune and expanded it into a large space all its own.

The result is innovation, rural ambient, but not without some losses. With nothing to window dress them, If I Could See Dallas relies solely on its hooks, some of which are better than others. The most successful tracks, "Now Wait for Last Year," "Elephants," and the epic "Dallas," are not surprisingly blown out of the best hooks, but the more forgetful hooks are less forgiving. The band does well to vary the instrumentation from track to track-- the opener is led by the lap steel, the second by synth and the third by strings-– a move that preserves the listener's patience through an otherwise, though purposefully, repetitive fare.

Giving Japancakes praise is simple. Judged on the basis of what the band is trying to accomplish, If I Could See Dallas must be considered a success. The album is a complete artistic vision, seemingly carried to fruition. Doling out an unqualified recommendation for it, though, is a trickier matter. For all of its accomplishment, there's a rigidity here, as if the album was made more to be appreciated than actually listened to.

-Neil Lieberman