I first heard of Ethan Rose on the Locust website whilst reading about his two previous full-length releases on this label. I have listened to neither one of them, as I'm not particularly interested in this genre of ambient electronica. I admit that I had a hard time getting into this record. Fortunately, the idea behind it is really interesting. Ethan Rose was asked to repair an old Wurlitzer Theater Organ that belonged to the Oaks Park Roller Rink. As he repaired it, he got a chance to explore the sound of an instrument that was once left for dead. It resulted into this collection of mournful songs, dedicated to the nostalgia of vintage electric organs...

I'd like to imagine Ethan Rose, leaving his house, telling his wife that he's going at work, and that he's going to be working late again tonight. Up to the point where he tells his wife he's going to work and it doesn't have the same meaning anymore. He knows he's lying and she knows it as well. In fact he's off to see his other lover, a lover that allows him to be himself, in the solitude of creation. But then, growing tired of this fling, he has to end this relationship. Going back to family life, knowing that something is forever lost. And in memory of this time passed alone with his true love, he composed those plaintive melancholic songs on the Wurlitzer.

This scenario would have made it way more interesting. The untouched, pure love for the instrument contriving him to use the natural sounds, unaltered of the organ. That would have been of such beauty...But in reality, things always go differently. Rose couldn't let go of his ego, he had to rearrange the sounds that the organ offered willingly from the insides of his body. Processing the sounds with computer programs, transforming it into some sort of bland electronica. For sure it has the sensibility of a William Basinski record, but somehow less interesting. This stayed on the level of beautiful background music as I was not able to get into the depths of the sounds. And I truly think it's unfortunate, because there's some great moments on this album but they're diluted in an overall feeling of boredom. 5/10 -- Frédérick Galbrun (2 February, 2010)