Babble will probably have to live with the fact that every mention of their name is followed by parentheses - as in, (former members of the Thompson Twins). That's what you get for being in one of the most successful pop bands of the 80s. But Allannah Currie and Tom Bailey have gone through more than just a name change; they moved to New Zealand, and the new material is a long way from simple pop songs like "Hold Me Now".
In fact Ether is a perfectly chosen album title as there is something very ethereal about these songs. They still work with keyboards and vocals, but Babble work up influences from many directions. The music is based on ambient grounds, and features oriental sounds. Some songs also have this nice low-fi trip-hop feel that Portishead made so popular. And of course Allannah and Tom haven't completely forgotten about writing catchy pop tunes; the vocals, where both of them take turns, have some very distinct hooks. Despite this style mix, the sound is very integral and perfectly balanced.
Babble will most likely never have the commercial success of the Thompson Twins, but trying to repeat what they did 10 years ago would be doomed to failure anyhow. Instead Babble are firmly rooted in the 90s, and Ether is a very atmospheric album, light and deep at the same time, which can have nearly hypnotic effects.
