Tom Green ~ Low Tide: Cinematic Archive 1

Fret not, gentle reader, and relax. For this Tom Green is not the Canadian (un)funnyman, star of Freddy Got Fingered and once Mr Drew Barrymore. Although if that guy did come out with an album of ambient soundscapes we would of course give it an impartial spin and who knows, there might be hidden depths which have been thus far obscured by moose jokes. And there’s every possibility that come early April we’ll be covering the rumoured Adam Sandler / Rob Schneider album of field recordings from the Nile delta.

However, aside from some confusion on last.fm, it is probably not a comparison that has bothered this Tom Green as he’s spent most of his recording life as the Big Chill approved Another Fine Day, and as part of the extended Orb family (back in the Ultraworld days). This is some pedigree in the ambient/electronica world and as might be expected he’s in demand for soundtrack and library music work and has compiled some of his commissioned pieces on this short but lovely album.

This is not music that was written in the first instance to be listened to, but rather to illuminate or embellish a series of images or dialogue in a movie. There’s also the probability that some of these pieces were composed for films that don’t exist yet. It’s likely though, that in assembling this first Cinematic Archive Green has selected his tracks that stand alone most successfully and also work well together as an album so this is, for the most part, gently evocative ambient with piano flourishes, enlivened by the likes of “AJW’s Waltz” which is an bright, Amelie-esque piece.

Low Tide is not merely a collection of soundtrack work then, although it will most likely be an effective calling card for Tom Green in the future. It works as a stand alone album, one that will sit comfortably between your Eno and Max Richter records. It is full of brief but warmly evocative cues that will be returned to again and again; what it illustrates will be entirely up to your imagination. (Jeremy Bye)

Available here