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Cocteau Twins Guitarist Rides a Carousel of Drifting, Paisley-Dappled Tone Poems Robin Guthrie's shimmering, ringing guitars, layers of echo and darkly melancholy themes play over trancey rhythm machines Robin Guthrie
Carousel
(Darla) by John Diliberto Carousel is the kind of album you might expect from Robin Guthrie. Shimmering, ringing guitars, layers of echo and darkly melancholy themes played out over trancey rhythm machines. It picks up on the themes of his previous CDs like Imperial and Continental. But it's a nearly perfect rendition of that sound from the pensive opening track, "Some Sort of Paradise," to the deeply textural closer, "Little Big Fish."

You've heard Robin Guthrie before. He was the guitarist with the Cocteau Twins during their entire existence from 1981 to 1998, defining an elegiac dreamworld along with singer (and mother of one of his children) Elizabeth Fraser. Guthrie created an archetypal guitar sound noted for its use of distortion, delays and reverb that continues to influence musicians including My Bloody Valentine, Ulrich Schnauss, Hammock, and Moby.

On Carousel, Guthrie takes this sound and expands it into a series of drifting, paisley dappled tone poems. While many of his adherents have drifted into the drone zone of pure electric ambiences, Guthrie never leaves melody or rhythm, or at least pulse, behind. Tracks like "Delight" and "Search Among the Flowers" unfold in cascading patterns rippling through layers of his processed guitar matrix.

Guthrie is a thoroughly modern musician, yet there's a wistful, nostalgic sensibility in an album that seems autumnal in its mood. That comes through on tracks like "Sparkle," which recalls the twangy sound of 60s guitar bands like The Shadows via Twin Peaks. But there's also an older, distinctly British pastoral sensibility from this musician who grew up in Scotland and now lives in France. Titles like "The Girl with the Little Wings and "Waiting by the Carousel" suggest a mature, reflective sound that seems appropriate from a 47-year-old musician with children. It's a personal, contemplative music that also happens to be psychedelic and moody.

Robin Guthrie is one of the significant guitar stylists of the last 30 years. He's not a flash player, with ripping pyrotechnic leads and guitar shredding distortion. Instead, his sound is an electric orchestra, layering shadings, harmonies, and melodies within melodies that unfold across his compositions. If you have to pick one Robin Guthrie album to get, Carousel is it.