The driving force behind Building Castles Out of Matchsticks is Anne Sulikowski's vision of a musical diary, and that is a sensation that really comes through on Secret Land. The songs are simple - pretty bare-bones beats with just a few (if not a single) glimmering synth chords in the background is standard fare - but it is their very simplicity which allows these songs to convey the complexity of the human mind. What is unfortunate is that while the mind is complex, the kinds of things we tend to chronicle in our diaries and journals are often not so much, and Secret Land is no exception.

The start is strong. The combination of Harold Budd-esque ambient drones with break-beat colored percussion on "Maybe" and "All You Leave Behind" is compelling; the opposites complement and enhance each other, particularly on the latter track, where Sulikowski's vocals are more prominent, showcasing both her unique vocal style and the lyrics. There is something in her delivery that is reminiscent of Patti Smith, though the two are so clearly different: both women have a sort of new Bohemian nonchalance in their voices that makes them seem both deeply emotive and indifferent. That delivery is what makes the early tracks so successful - when placed on top of the ambient vehicle, they draw one in, like a coffee-shop conversation with someone new and interesting.

Anne never really moves beyond that, though. Her vocals slowly slide deeper into the mix, and though the beats change a little, the tempo and the "wall of ambience" are constants which quickly change the listening experience from grooving to wading. This album is the victim of a delicate balancing act between the hard-core minimalism of Budd's ambience and the more involved electronica of an artist like Björk. Björk has been known to repeat elements as well - I could have easily thought Debut a three- or four-track record the first time I listened to it had I not been able to see the tracks changing. What separates her from Anne Sulikowski, though, is a spark of life, an exuberance. Björk is active, Building Castles is passive.

The final killer for Secret Land has to do with the drone. Long tones - low frequency pedal tones in particular - work by creating and releasing tension. In the case of "All You Leave Behind" that tension is successfully built and released by the combination of a sort of indie-pop drum beat, the long tone, and the lead - Sulikowski's vocals and the synth-string part. Without that melodic instrumental, the song is nothing but a drone and a drum part, and that is, frankly, boring - which is exactly why the second half of the album falls on its face. Without something to break up the drone, the last eight songs are just a slow build of not-so-menacing tension; more "I'm going to miss the bus" than the "I am about to be forcibly rid of some essential organ, then rent in twain" that some drone artists use. The drone is too positive to be intimidating and too stagnant to demand attention.

One of the biggest obstacles in recording an album like this is that there are so many songs that it's nearly impossible for a single artist to avoid sounding stale after awhile. This is the case with Secret Land. In short bursts, it is a good, enjoyable listen, but the recurring elements become grating by the midway point. This is a great album for electro-pop lovers with a fondness for shuffle play; individual tracks are really pretty good. As a whole, though, Secret Land is a test of endurance, a collection of near white noise and drum-machine experimenting bookended by some particularly gripping songwriting. Perhaps this would be less disappointing if Building Castles didn't make such a point of claiming to be all over the musical map. It turns out that actually, she isn't.

-Lee Stablein