Having strong roots as singer and bassist in German band F.S.K. (begun in 1980 and still going steady), Melián’s solo career is surprisingly new. This organic and lovely release follows her more DJ friendly debut Baden-Baden that appeared on Monika two years ago. Focus here is on warmth and acoustics, with violoncello, Spanish guitar and ukulele balancing the stoic against the playful. Given the album’s title it’s difficult not to picture a smog-obscured landscape made golden and dreamlike in early morning light. The instruments are likewise bathed in refracting layers of ambient noise and stacked upon each other until the loops punch through to the surface. Pieces like “Stein” or “Stift” conjure Steve Reich in a dream of quicksand. This mould is broken on later tracks like “Convention” and “Sebastian” that resolve into sharper detail, revealing angles and edges where before there was only heat haze. A closing cover of Bryan Ferry’s “Manifesto” further dims the lights and sparks up the neon of Sunset Strip. Sometimes it is about the nightlife, after all.Monika
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