Melrose

by Jonathan WidranElectronic music seems to have been all the rage, even back in the early '90s, but the Dream (aka Citrus Slumber) has been the innovative force behind much of the John Tesh like synth patterns played on new age stations during that time. You might think the band (comprised of keyboardist-guitarist Edgar Froese, his son Jerome Froese, and keyboardist Paul Haslinger) would choose to rest on its many laurels after so many years, but Melrose rocks as hard as synth created music can, picking up where their previous, very engaging disc, Lily on the Beach, left off. Los Angeles imagery abounds here, as on the rhythmic title cut (the only one to feature sax) and the hypnotic "Rolling Down Cahuenga." Once again, the happy upbeat sequences are more than offset by more reflective ballads like "Electric Lion." While some of the tracks tend to carry on a bit too long, the textures are generally interesting enough to keep things entertaining. If there were more sax, TD's music could be considered an offshoot of smooth jazz. But it's great as it is -- smart, hip machine oriented sounds from masterful players and producers.