rom the opening harpsichord melody in "Theme," Arovane makes Tides something different and beautiful. Specializing in downtempo IDM revolving around the juxtaposition of hip hop beats and delicate melody, Arovane stakes out a territory unexplored by other similarly-minded artists such as Boards of Canada.

The aptly-titled "Theme" paves the way for much of the album. A heavy hip hop beat pounds away while dual harpsichord melodies interlock and twine around each other like a DNA strand. It's a short, beautiful song, and very indicative of the feel of Tides.

The next song, the title track, melds another downtempo beat with a gentle guitar melody. Delicate synths hold up the background while samples of seabirds aid to invoke the image of the sun setting on tranquil waves. "Eleventh!" is very reminiscent of BoC, with a beat right out of MHRC and samples of children talking. However, with more interlocking melodies between guitar and harpsichord, Arovane manages to pull off more of a homage instead of a retread.

"Tomorrow Morning" and "Seaside" are two basic ambient tracks that adequately feel like their respective titles. They set the stage for the excellent "A Secret" which gradually builds from a simple bass line to include a tense beat and more glorious harpsichords. I won't be crying if more people start throwing out their guitars for these instruments.

"The Storm" is one of those songs that floors me every time I listen to it. Soft ambient hums and washes set a soft stage for distant harpsichord notes. A hard beat kicks in without warning and a beautiful, dark harpsichord melody fits seamlessly within the song. Another harpsichord melody is layered on top. The song structure is simple -- start small, build and layer. But innovative mixing is not what this track is about. The focus here becomes the delicate melodies, and how they work and interact with one another.

"Deauville" starts with a synth melody that sounds ambling at first, but eventually reveals itself to be a long pattern. As drums and atmospheric synths are added to the background, the melody is given context. If you doubted the mixing prowess of Arovane before, this song should prove that they know what they are doing. "Epilogue" ends on a note similar to how the album started -- a gradual build of harpsichord over a hard beat.

Consistent albums such as this one are hard to find. Fans of downtempo IDM such as Boards of Canada should definitely give Tides a listen. My only gripe is that it's less than 40 minutes long.