The first thing we notice about the new album is that Lights Out Asia really has not changed much in the past four years. Mike Ystad, Chris Schafer, and Mike Rush are still preoccupied with the electro-ambient sound, layering electronic and live sounds together to build a marvelous whole. Tracks are painstakingly crafted, tediously polishing every last detail. The first two tracks are prime examples of Lights Out Asia's compositional strength. "Roy" shimmers with brilliant ambience and slowly sways between audio samples and low mixed vocals. Chris Schafer should be applauded for his vocals; rarely do we see vocals so tastefully added to this type of music. "Ring of Stars" starts with a flurry of electronic beeps and clicks to swarm the senses, then adds simple guitar melodies to supplement the track. Lights Out Asia fades away into an ambient interlude, where a violin joins the fray and slowly begins to mix this new presentation with the old electronic component.

In general, this is the motif that Lights Out Asia explores. Like Garmonia, Tanks and Recognizers is a meeting place of several different influences, drawn across a wide variety of genres, and the goal is to work this together until something resembling a single idea arises. In this sense, the trio has fashioned its own sound, something defiantly distinct and unique from its peers. Because of this, it should prove to be a worthwhile release to longtime fans of ambient/electronic music, as well as an excellent introductory album due to its wide accessibility. The album avoids the eccentricities associated with much of the electronic world, as well as the stolidity many find in ambient music. A remarkable balance between complexity and simplicity is also achieved in this process. While the band by and large deals with some complex tracks, the ambient side allows them to wash down the hard-to-swallow exterior and make everything look much smoother and simpler than it really is.

The cautious will note that although Lights Out Asia excels compositionally, a certain inattentiveness to moods and emotion prevents many of the tracks from really standing apart from one another, even after repeat listens. For some, this blurring of the lines will add to its dreamy sound, and certainly this increases the enjoyment of the whole. However, others might find the recurring sounds and motifs a bit tiring, if not homogenizing altogether. It's unclear whether or not this was an intentional aspect of the album, as the tracks featuring vocals generally hold their own much better than the rest, save those that actually do change moods, such as the upbeat "Four Square" and "Lilies on the Subway." Further implementation of the vocals might be a desired tweaking of the band's sound, and its presence is able to a give tracks the much needed identity that is lacking without them.

It's fair to say that Tanks and Recognizers is a a release that should be welcome in any collection, and definitely worth the wait for longtime fans. Unfortunately, we don't get a sense of where the band's ambitions lie, as they've essentially provided a revamped version of Garmonia, and have neglected to indicate what's really been brewing behind the scenes for the past four years. I suspect that this is because some of these tracks are quite old, recorded not too long after the release of Garmonia and sat around as internal and external struggles delayed its release (which originally was set to be released from Sun Sea Sky). I can't imagine this album will disappoint many, but on the same page I must speculate that this isn't the best the band has to offer. One step at a time, I suppose.

-Jordan Volz