This is Japanese-American singer Caroline's second album, the follow-up to her 2006 debut "Murmurs". She possesses a rather child-like voice, but it seems well-suited for this type of music. "Verdugo Hills" exists in an ethereal, dreamy, electronic soundscape. That means a lot of minimalist bleeps, bloops, beats, keyboard washes and vocal swirls running in and out of each track.
Things start out on a high with the heavenly "Swimmer". It's a gorgeous, understated track with a warm, inviting melody. It's like a soundtrack to the most stunning scenery your eyes have ever witnessed. Sadly, nothing else on the album even comes close to what Caroline accomplishes with "Swimmer". There are a number of other decent ballads, amongst them ""Lullabye" and "Pink Gloom".
The problem with "Verdugo Hills", and it's a problem only the best artists in this genre can avoid, is everything starts to blend into each other. I wouldn't call it a dull listen, but it certainly has to fight to keep your attention through its 38 minutes. There are modest beats on tracks like "Sleep" and "Seesaw", but it's hard to get past the perception everything sounds so similar.
None of this is to say I am trashing this release. There are enough lovely moments to make it worthwhile as something to put on to relax to. But peaceful background music is about all it eventually amounts to. Although not an official "video", here is a YouTube clip for "Swimmer" so you can enjoy the best track on the album. If only the rest of the album had maintained this quality.
"Verdugo Hills" was released in the U.S. January 25, 2011 on the Temporary Residence label.
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