Review Summary: Good, but not Tycho's best work
I've spent about a year listening to this off and on. I am trying to love it as much as I love Tycho's other work. I have all 3 of his other LPs and I want to add this to the collection. I've been coming back to it every 2 months or so to try to get in to it. I think after 6 or 7 listens I'm finally ready to buy the vinyl.
The problem is not that this isn't a good effort; it is a good album. The problem is I heard Tycho's other albums first. And to me they are fantastic, especially the latest. Epoch, in my opinion, is epic. Really. This album, Past is Prologue, is the most ambient of his works using the most common definition of that term as music that is enjoyable and listenable, while at the same time being innocuous and unimposing.
I'm a fan of Boards of Canada, Gustaf Fjelstrom, Bonobo and similar. This fits in with those other artists, but the album feels like a rookie effort. The songs are a bit variable and the album lacks an overall cohesion. The songs seem tentative at times, a searching feel that is absent on Dive and Awake. Those are works by someone who has decidedly found his way and invites you to enjoy his discoveries.
This is definitely worth a listen, so give it a try and decide for yourself. If you're a fan of Tycho, you may find it interesting to see the seeds of what will become very mature and rich compositions on his later albums.
