“Aether Obelisk” is the fourth volume from German multi-instrumentalist and electronic composer Daniel Vujanic’s series as Baja. Featuring a veritable mini-orchestra’s worth of instruments, Vujanic and his handful of contributors splice together a rather wide-ranging assemblage of sounds that straddle the acoustic/electronic divide, at times suggestive of The Books, Four Tet, or more recent efforts from Tortoise. The Baja sound is somewhat more elusive though, being less reliant on groove and more prone to orchestral flourishes and dizzyingly complex arrangements. Most of the tracks feature some sort of stylistic switcheroo, moving from jazz or folk-inflected passages to more electronic or chamber pop modes, at times multitudinous. This is even more pronounced on lengthier tracks like “Be Quick, Be Quiet and Mean” and “The Aether Obelisk (Supertouch My Heart)”, highlighting Vujanic’s seemingly bottomless well of inspiration and inventiveness. The general feel of “Aether Obelisk” is airy and laid back, thus tracks that feature vocals and more distorted beats provide some of the standout moments on the album, as on the aforementioned tracks or “Graph-Vlak”. Overall, Vujanic has crafted an album that is rich in complexity and detail, which some will find to be either its greatest strength or its greatest hindrance as a listening experience. 6/10 -- David Perron (23 June, 2009)