Swerving just to the right camp, Satellite City (aka Tony Miracle, one-third of Venus Hum) finds a happy balance between retro stylings played as modern electronica - Think Sergio Mendes or 60's European movies and you get the idea of how the melodies are flowing. "Turpin Hills" is the perfect example of this. Ahhs sound out over banjo picking and then it shifts into early 70's junkyard funk and then back. The surprising thing is that it works out and to great effect.

1. Cincinnati Modern Intro
2. The Boulter House
3. Turpin Hills
4. The Vontz Center for Molecular Studies
5. Cincinnati Modern Middle 8
6. Bellevue Hill Park
7. The Hillside Firm
8. Birch Bark + Birds
9. TVCFMS Part 2
10. Song for Charley Harper
11. Ice Storm
12. Cincinnati Modern Outro

Thoughts of early Air come to mind but Satellite City takes that next step to really delve into the genre and shake things up consistently. Dub creeps into "The Vontz Center for Molecular Studies" after a bouncy synth intro that is catchy and doesn't wear out it's welcome. "Birch Bark and Birds" would fit nicely on any of your Easy Listening Lounge comps with it's Latin groove undertones and acoustic guitar lead melody. "Song For Charlie Harper" would be another for the comps with its flute-led strum-along light but not lightweight arrangement.

Fans of Air, Sebastien Tellier, ESL Music, will really take to Cincinatti Modern and how deftly they take on a really tough genre and work wonders with a well-conceived set of songs.

~ Dedric Moore

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Original label of release is Mono-Fi Records

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