"Words and Guitar"-- the name of one great tune on Sleater-Kinney's excellent 1997 release, Dig Me Out, and two things not found on Christoph de Babalon's ambient debut, If You're Into It, I'm Out Of It. Released on Alec Empire's infamous Digital Hardcore label, this album is an ethereal combination of spacy new- age timbre and repetitive techno loops. Layers of electronically- generated tones and rhythms roll over each other, repeating at various intervals to create more an atmosphere of sound than songs on an album. As unique as this fusion seems, it's as familiar as it is experimental. Let me explain:

Close your eyes for a minute and imagine a generic '70s science fiction movie. Our scene opens in a dark, metallic hallway. Apparently, there's no drywall in space, because a web of pipes and wires runs exposed along the walls. And judging from the billows of steam rising from the steel mesh floor, those intergalactic pipes aren't so hot, either. Enter our hero, donned in a bulbous white spacesuit, carefully patrolling the area. Guided only by the green and red hues that dimly light the area, he proceeds cautiously. Hear that sound? The low, rumbling electronic wave, at once comforting and edgy, somehow sonically indicating that while all is well in the computer- monitored environment, our hero better watch out for that green, slimy thing that's about to shoot out of the wall and eat his liver? That's "Opium," Babalon's 13- minute- long opener.

The remainder of If You're Into It, I'm Out Of It runs along much in the same fashion. You'll find the soundtrack for the chase between our hero's rickety but reliable galactic Chevelle and the heavily armed armada of the opposition; the music rolling under his discovery of the ancient secret necessary to defeat his foes, and accompaniment to his eventual triumph. But just as cinematic action begs for a soundtrack, this soundtrack begs for action of its own. And frankly, there hasn't been much action of any kind in my apartment of late, so I had to improvise for the album's 75 minutes: I paid some bills, re-filed the ever- growing stack of discs next to my disc player, caught up on periodicals, and finally found myself staring at my feet. Sounds boring, right? You get the picture.

-Neil Lieberman

"Opium"

[Real Audio Stream]