Piotr Nowotnik

A lot of interesting mixing and recording ideas but musically the album sounds like a big-budget woodwind student experiment. Apart from clarinet and sax, Shabaka's attempts on other, more obscure aerophones, feel very rudimentary and don't explore any expressive avenues these instruments offer. Most tracks feel like well-arranged etudes and warm-up practice without form nor structure. Still, it's a galaxy beyond Andre's "woodwind" album...

It's not a "flute" album. It's an ambient experimental electronic work, full of nostalgic textures and very much infatuated with its own concept. BTW the majority of the flute takes are coming from a digital aerophone. For all the flute enthusiasts out there, the overall flute content in NBS might be at around 20%. It's not even bad when taken against the backdrop of the likes such as Brian Eno or Tangerine Dream, but it's adorable seeing HH/pop fans losing their mind because Andre did something unexpected, while ignoring the whole oeuvre of similar works produced by alternative electronica artists since the late 70s. The album has a lot pleasant moments and promising ideas but it is basically a well-produced prolonged jam session.