Although they've been performing in clubs and art houses in the Boston area for over a year now, this self-titled release by Client/Server is not only the debut album for the group, but the debut release for the Three Lonely Kaiju label as well. Apparently known for their live soundtracks put to old silent films, the duo creates droning, ambient atmospheres of sound that combine manipulated electonic elements, found sound, and guitars (electric and acoustic) into an 8 song album that's stumbles around the midsection, but otherwise creates some very nice soundscapes to drift off in.

Even though there are only 8 tracks on the release, it runs almost an hour, and things lead in nicely with "Mighty Sunfish," a track comprised of some very simple acoustic guitar playing while a steady hum drones in the background and another almost sharp edged one weaves in and out of the mix. The album follows up with the flanged "Outsourced," a track that feels like it was recorded, then re-recorded about 4 feet below the surface of a body of water. You can hear the slight bits of guitar peeking through the shimmering drone in the foreground, but just barely.

As I mentioned above, it's around the middle part of the disc that things stumble a bit. On both "Ceecilweed" and "Short Of Hold Or Not," the group samples an actual human voice (in one it sounds like a television commercial while the other sounds like a bit of a newscast) and makes that element a part of the track. Unfortunately, instead of adding to things, the samples are put in the forefront and repeated far too many times, becoming annoying hiccups in the soundscapes of the group.

Probably the best track on the album is also one that I can totally see appealing to fans of a group like Windy And Carl. "Space Godzilla" is just the right blend of subtle noise and dreamy, chiming guitars and doesn't linger on one second too long. The 16-minute "Porco Rosso Part One" again uses a sample and makes it work, but the song simply drags out for too long. The album closer of "Don't Like Noodles? Try My Fist!" (bonus for the great title) is actually the only acoustic track on the release and works well as a jangling release of the pent-up sounds of the previous track. If you're into very minimal, very repetitive dronescapes, Client/Server might be right up your alley, though.