Robert Scott

As a cornerstone of New Zealand's pop scene, Robert Scott's brilliant songs can be heard in his work with the Clean, the Bats and the Magick Heads. The Creeping Unknown is Scott's first solo album and, surprisingly, it's a mostly instrumental excursion. Scott's sense of beautiful melody echoes throughout this experimental recording, as lovely guitar lines mingle with warbling electronics and soothing piano. Much of the album focuses on strangely textured segues and purely ambient passages, which connect some of the more rewarding ideas. The best elements occasionally come up a bit short, like unfinished vignettes, but perhaps this was intended in order to heighten the otherworldly feel of this introspective journey.