by Andy KellmanSpaces is the first release on K. Soublis' own Vibrant Music imprint, which hopefully won't confuse you with his prior releases on Chain Reaction, Vibrant Forms and Vibrant Forms II. While Vibrant Forms II showed Soublis reducing his productions to rarely rely upon beats and throbs, there's a complete absence of those elements here. This has more in common with the drumless space of Main than any of Soublis' former labelmates on Chain Reaction, save for the outer reaches of Vainqueur, a better source for this type of thing (as is Main, if you're coming at it from a post-rock angle). Spaces is a perfectly accurate title, but the name of the label releasing it isn't entirely fitting; there isn't much vibrancy to be found amidst these beatless, cavernous structures. More than ever, Soublis' productions evoke abandoned boiler rooms and steely uninhabited corridors. These numbers are entirely lifeless, better suited as background noise for a science fiction film than anything else. As a sound effects record, it's rather haunting and it might give you a thrill. You might hear something similar if you put your ear to the floor of your kitchen after having kicked your furnace a few times. But if you want something with a drive and a kick, this stands little chance of floating your boat. Ergo, Soublis' productions work best when things aren't so skeletal, brittle, and inhuman.