Many CDs are made to be soundtracks, real or imagined. Toao takes the idea further here with The Neo Lounge Affair. This twenty-four track project is both an electronica CD and a radio play. There are ten chapters of a noir detective story, with dialogue by a man and a woman, interspersed with music. Normally this would not seem to be a good idea, since once you have heard the story, you might not want to listen to it twice. But each chapter is between one and two minutes long, acting more like an introduction to the music than an interruption.

1. Chapter 1 - Something About Her Eyes
2. Wonderful
3. Hourglass
4. Chapter 2 - After the Show
5. Prelude to a Dance
6. Waltz in Blue
7. Chapter 3 - A Drink or Two
8. Sunday Dub Cafe
9. Chapter 4 - The Window
10. Night in the Rain
11. Chapter 5 - Witness
12. Life Cinematic
13. Chapter 6 - Drowning
14. A Touch of Honey (Sticky Mix)
15. Chapter 7 - Bad Company
16. Sidekick
17. Chapter 8 - Surrounded
18. Distance
19. Chapter 9 - Old Habits Die Hard
20. Waiting
21. White Chair
22. Chapter 10 - Uncovered
23. Wonderful (Reprise)
24. Theme From

The music itself is near perfect for the narrative. It's not crime jazz, but mid tempo neo-lounge with beautiful melodies. It has a hint of exotica at certain points, and subtle sound effects at times to support the story. The music is not overly complex, so you can fill in the narrative action from your own imagination.

You’ll want to crack open the case on this one.

~ Dave Howell

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