By: David Schultz

For their third album, The Garden, sound engineers Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker, more familiarly known as Zero 7, reprise the same formula that has worked for them so far: atmospheric soundscapes and sagely selected guest vocalists. Building on their newfound popularity in the wake of the inclusion of "In The Waiting Line" on the eclectic Garden State soundtrack, Zero 7 recruited Swedish-Argentinean classical guitarist Jose Gonzales and Six Feet Under's overnight sensation Sia Furler.

With not much more kick than a transcendental meditation tape, the album opens with its most ethereal offering, "Futures." Gonzales' soothing voice floats over the track's patiently layered guitars and dreamy effects to create a trippy Meddle era, Pink Floyd vibe. Although an enjoyable bit of pop, the radio-friendly "Throw It All Away," featuring Sia's vocals, sounds too much like Jamiroquai. A better use of Furler's talents comes on "This Fine Social Scene." When Binns and Hardaker forego the vocals, they create nice Kraftwerk-lite bits of techno-pop like "Seeing Things" and "Crosses." Their inclusion of horns on "Your Place" and "Waiting To Die" echo back to Blood, Sweat & Tears same use of the brass.

The relaxed rhythms on The Garden make it the perfect album for a quiet stress-free evening or unobtrusive background music for a dinner party. In walking the tightrope between finely crafted mellow electronica and cheesy synth-pop, Zero 7 has created a pleasantly effective album of airy agreeable tunes.

Labels: Zero 7