After Enigma

Balligomingo - Beneath the Surface

Balligomingo falls very decidedly on the pop-rock end of the spectrum. Every song features synthesizer and female vocals (I believe there are seven different vocalists featured across the 11 tracks, including Kristy Thirsk of Delerium fame). That is not to say that the songs all sound the same - the variety in vocalists and moods are quite sufficient to maintain the listener's interest. Falling (track 3) and Marooned (track 10) stand out as the highlights of the album. There are a total of 11 tracks, plus an extra hidden song at the end of the last track.

Though the official press for the album calls it "a lush soundscape of electronic, acoustic, orchestral and world beat textures," I feel that the acoustic and world beat components are rather lacking. Synthesizers are very dominant throughout, with a good bit of orchestral support. The one track that does break the mold is Marooned, which features some nice acoustic guitar.

I am disinclined to say much about the biography behind Balligomingo - Windam Hill seems to be pushing a story that producer Garret Schwarz is basically responsible for the whole album, but I get the feeling that other contributors might be more influential than implied. Read the bio on Windam Hill's site and take a look at the album's liner notes - you can come to your own conclusions.

Beneath the Surface sounds very similar to Delerium's work, with more consistent verse-chorus song structure, and no instrumental tracks. This is unsurprising considering that Bill Leeb (half of Delerium's Leeb and Fulber) had a hand in Balligomingo's creation. Despite its somewhat formulaic composition, Beneath the Surface is quite engaging, and contains some very moving songs. I strongly recommend it if you are fond of electronica, or are looking for someting in the vein of Delerium's female-fronted pop songs such as "Silence."