Or You Could Just Go Through Your Whole Life and Be Happy Anyway

AMG Review of Or You Could Just Go Through Your Whole Life and Be Happy Anyway

Kenyon Hopkin
All Music Guide

While No Solace in Sleep was a chilling array of haunting ambient drones, Or You Could Just... is a warm, softer counterpart. On Vol. 18 of Darla's stellar Bliss Out series (other featured artists have included Amp, Sweet Trip, and American Analog Set), Jon DeRosa is joined by Lorraine Lelis of Mahogany and DJ Aaron Spectre. The nicest surprise is a handful of tracks with vocals, including the wonderful "Aura Lee." It adds a human dimension to Aarktica's iciness, yet maintains a dreamy atmosphere. Guitar, electronics, and studio tricks add more textures than the previous LP, with plenty of delay on "A Correspondence in Film" and gentle drum'n' bliss on "You're Landlocked, My Love." DeRosa's studies in music technology and psychology have definitely paid off for this record, as he produces a therapeutic album of celestial space rock.