Music for Artificial Clouds

Led by Franz Treichler, the Swiss band The Young Gods are best known for their late 1980s, early 90s industrial rock sound — for which they “played” guitars using samplers. But their catalogue is vast and varied, and they have never stood still, creating some stunning kosmische, ambient and groove based records right into the 21st century. This 2004 ambient collection stands up as a particular highpoint: its mixture of total abstraction and perfectly placed melody conjuring up futurist landscapes that are adjacent — but never beholden — to Vangelis at his sci-fi best. Though there are dark and moody undercurrents here, there’s something about the cleanliness and airborne freshness of the sounds here which are cleansing and blissful no matter how many times you’ve heard it.