Nettwerk
Ambient, 2001

More “mo-mo wa-wa tinky-tinky plink-plink” dance tracks from trance duo Delerium. Poem doesn’t stray from their now increasingly stagnant formula of minor chord progressions and synthesizer overkill. Overall, occasionally something works, but more often than not it’s a mind numb experience.

The “celebrity” single, Innocente (Falling in Love) has Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer on lead vocals. It’s actually the weakest track, thanks to the three different pacing of verse, chorus, and bridge that requires a delicate, clear diction. Ms Nash’s “Youeeergantceeemahaiiiissss” causes the song to segue into a messy incoherent tune. I only got the melody of the song after ten or twenty repeat listens.

Nature’s Kingdom, Daylight, and Aria are the best tracks here, while everything else seems tired. Even the chanting monks seem as if they want to be somewhere else. And the kiddies cooing in some tracks also sound as if Mom and Pop, hard up for some easy cash, force them to forgo their afternoon nappy to be in the studio.

The bonus CD has a remixed version of Silence with Sarah McLachlan, and the inclusion of that track only demonstrates that when Delerium is good, they are amazing. Nothing on Poem even comes close.