Cologne's Popnoname (Jens Uwe Beyer) is a regular contributor to Kompakt's Pop Ambient series, but where his submissions to those compilations generally lean towards the beatless, his second full-length for Italic label splashes back down on the unabashedly pop end of the spectrum. True to his hometown and his label affiliations, the steady chug of minimal techno underpins Popnoname's music, in the form of steady four-on-the-floor beats and rubbery bass lines steadily marking the time. This earthly tether, ironically, is precisely what gives his music such airy, spacious potential, as muted chords swell and his voice soars out above it all. Not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, Beyer recalls sentimentalists like Raz Ohara, Superpitcher and even the Pet Shop Boys on songs like the bubbling "Storm" and the falsetto-led "Touch." His voice isn't the most polished in the world, but in the Auto-Tune era, the way Beyer sidles up to the high notes only serves to lend that much more character. This is dreamy stuff, from the swirling, piano-led disco of "2012" to the fluffy, pneumatic trance of "The Movement." The spongy mood is broken only by "Crack," a hard-edged romp of cut-up drums… read more »