* Jimi Tenor

OUT OF NOWHERE

(Matador)

Tenor, a Finnish composer and clothing designer, makes grandiose music that aspires to be filed under "orchestral pop" or "cinematic soundscapes." But the 10 tracks on Out of Nowhere sound more like Doc Severinsen covering Earth Wind & Fire. With a full 55-piece orchestra on board, Tenor scatters trite soundtrack allusions and new-agey whale sounds throughout his compositions as if there were a B-movie ready to accompany the busy bombast. Bereft of visual cues, we're left to wonder what aesthetic imperative makes Tenor cool and John Tesh stupid? The answer's not as easy to come by as it should be. But as the funky flutes of "Hypnotic Drugstore" segue into a wave of wallowing synthscapes, you can catch "I can hear it, but it's a horrible tune." Tenor, it seems, may be his own best critic.

-- Lois Maffeo