Papercuts (France), July 2008
"Tim Arndt avait fait une entrée remarquée sur la scène electronica lors de la sortie de Go Out and See sur le label canadien The Noise Made by People en 2006. L'aventure continue à présent aux côtés de n5MD, producteur particulièrement friand de délicatesses synthétiques tissées avec émotion. IDM tendant vers le shoegaze, flirtant avec le post-rock le plus minimaliste, la musique de Near The Parenthesis serait voisine d'un Helios ou autre Deaf Center tout en ayant sa propre empreinte, sa propre vision de ce qu'un soleil polaire pourrait évoquer. Cette magie que de poser un casque sur ses oreilles et de contempler la ville autrement, le calme s'installe, un ralenti bienveillant hante le vertigineux tourbillon de mouvements. Oui, il s'agit d'une bande son idéale pour déambulations. Pourquoi? La production souligne avec délicatesse une profusion de petits détails, froissements métalliques, grésil picotant le visage. De ces touches de froid baigné de lumière, sorte de scintillement solaire sur une mer gelée. Une écoute attentive permet de relever toutes ces subtilités et de les apprécier tout en se laissant porter. On pense à une paisible succession de vagues, on s'enveloppe de la chaleur des plages denses et vaporeuses qui apportent tant de douceur à l'ensemble. Il n'est que la métaphore pour parvenir à définir ces sonorités. Near The Parenthesis constitue un petit univers brillant et réconfortant qui mérite grandement d'être découvert."
Evil Sponge, July 2008
"I was fortunate in discovering his album Go Out And See (released 2006 on the MMBP label), a record of luxuriant bass and sophisticated beats. For his follow-up, Arndt has switched to the n5MD label and this is a logical move for the San Francisco-based musician. The music of Near the Parenthesis is too reflective, too cerebral to be confined to the rank and file of downtempo. Of Soft Construction is relaxed and chilled, certainly, but it has facets that reach out beyond ambience. Though outwardly tranquil, these compositions can be contrary and deceptive. Built upon cycles of repetition and gently, evolving layers, Of Soft Construction generates the sort of "calm" that actually suggests strength. The effect is like time-lapse photography for the ears. My favourite piece has to be the sensational Trailing. By sensational I mean quite literally evoking sensations and feelings. This track twinkles like a night drive in a foreign city. Conjure Michael Mann's Miami or Sofia Coppola's Tokyo - wherever. It doesn't matter. In this context, the city is merely a reflection of the self. Our foreign city therefore represents the unexplored side of one's own persona. Lights and colours flash by. Our minds are intoxicated with possibilities and discoveries. All these new experiences serve to make sense of our own lives and purposes. If only my own were as elegant and beautiful as Of Soft Construction."
The Skinny, May 2008
"Shoegazer electronica can be hard to grab a handle on – it’s soothing, thought provoking, sometimes exciting, often beautiful – but it also has a very strong tendency towards inoffensive mildness, and Near The Parenthesis is no exception. Of Soft Construction exhibits all of the above qualities by the bucketload. The melodies are gorgeous when they drift in and out, the drum programming is superb - albeit buried deep in the mix - and the instrumentation is stirring."
Cyclic Defrost, March 2008
"Near the Parenthesis attracted considerable critical acclaim for the 2006 debut album 'Go Out And See' on Canadian imprint Music Made By People, which focused on purely instrumental compositions equally evocative of both downbeat IDM and shoegazer slow-core rock. Given the delicate and deeply emotional nature of Arndt’s music as Near The Parenthesis, it’s certainly no surprise to see him smoothly slotting in amongst the n5MD label’s established gentle aesthetic for this second album, Of Soft Construction. Opening track ‘It’s Not Even Midnight’ provides a good taste of the sorts of delicate and melancholic moods that predominate throughout the eleven tracks collected here, with its glacially wistful opening synth pads giving way to a slow, blurred-out wash of programmed drums and subtly-placed, ebbing guitar elements; indeed, so smooth is the fusion of instrumental and synthetic elements that it calls to mind the post-rock sphere as equally as anything tagged ‘IDM.’ ‘Mare Nostrum’ meanwhile sees elegantly stark piano notes take centre stage as flickering programmed rhythms trace a path over the reverb-drenched harmonics, with the addition of feathery guitar textures and reversed / looped samples contributing a vaguely psychedelic vibe that’s nicely capped off by the sampled background chatter that flits through the mix. ‘The Language Explosion’ sees the highly-detailed synthetic elements moving closer to the forefront as crackling textures and shimmering piano tones take proceedings out into one of this album’s more decidedly IDM-centred inclusions, in an offering that calls to mind Boards Of Canada and Bola’s crystalline melancholia, before ‘Open Sources’ gets deeper and darker, placing brooding bass pads beneath its ticking clockwork rhythms and feathery, harp-like treated guitars. Depending on your own personal leanings, the fact that Arndt pretty much restricts himself to the same sorts of melancholic themes throughout Of Soft Construction’s 56 minutes can be alternately viewed as thematic cohesion or lack of variation; either way, fans of his preceding Go Out And See album should be delighted with this follow-up."
Side-Line, January 2008
"Following 2006’s Go Out and See on Music Made by People, Of Soft Construction sees Near the Parenthesis' cascading melodies, flowing synth waves and intricate beat programming interweave and mix to form gentle swathes of sound with just a touch of fuzzy distortion. In some ways, “Of Soft Construction” could be a glimpse into the intimate world of the musician at work; almost as though observing a synth being played in a quiet studio while an electronic music soundtrack plays in the background. The tracks focus largely on the warm stream of ambience, delicate sparkling sounds, obscured snippets of conversation, gentle unobtrusive rhythms and emotive keys. The other aspect of these tracks arises from the experimental electronics that discretely accompany the mellower aspects; this side of NTP's music is crisp, precise and slightly metallic. Tracks such as “Mare Nostrum” and “Open Sources” are almost an insight into NTP's mindset as he plays the notes, perhaps reflecting on what was or could have been."
Goon (Germany), January 2008
"Near The Parenthesis kann – denn Electronica ist nicht selten eine Musik der Abschweifungen im geradlinigen Ablauf des Tages; mit all seiner Synthesizer-Epik, den in Spiralen verlängerten Gitarrenanklängen und sanften Beatameisen macht sie, insbesondere in der Nähe zum IDM, oftmals den Eindruck, nicht so recht zu wissen, wo sie hin will; scheint eingeschoben und in der Luft zu baumeln; wie ein Tagträumen, eine Parenthese innerhalb des Wachzustands; in gewisser Weise ist es autonome Musik, die allein sich selbst genügt und doch zugleich durch einen Fuß im Kitsch selbst eine Funktion besitzt, die direkt auf den Menschen wirkt und ihn umgarnt; das kann regelmäßig etwas bieder und einfältig klingen, kann damit aber auch eine schlichte Lieblichkeit besitzen, die einen in den Arm nimmt und nicht nur Wärme verspricht, sondern spendet – als eine von Sonnenstrahlen durchtränkte Pause im Frühlingssturm betrachtet werden."
EtherREAL (France), January 2008
"Après un premier album sur Music Made By People, Near the Parenthesis se trouve signé par n5MD, maison plus ou moins spécialisée dans ce «post-rock électronisé» qu’affectionne le musicien de San Fransisco. De fait, dès les deux morceaux d’ouverture (It’s not even midnight et Mare Nostrum), on retrouve une batterie électronique, de lumineuses lignes de guitare, des composants synthétiques scintillants et quelques bribes de samples vocaux. Pour autant, Tim Arndt ne se cantonne pas à ce genre, certes brillant, mais un rien facile par moments ; en effet, l’États-unien peut aussi s’aventurer vers des terrains dépourvus de ces parties mélodiques entraînantes de guitare et plus orientés vers une ambient cajoleuse (The Language Explosion). Passant d’un registre à l’autre, mais aussi capable d’aller vers une electronica plus traditionnelle (Open Sources), Near the Parenthesis nous livre alors un album très agréable."
Textura, December 2007
"Near the Parenthesis' made a strong impression with the mid-2006 debut Go Out and See (Music Made By People) and now extends the album's luminescent character to the equally solid Of Soft Construction. The collection's ‘emotional electronic' style is quintessential n5MD: deeply-layered material teeming with delicate piano melodies, glistening electronic atmospheres, quietly propellant beats, and occasional voice and radio station samples. Eleven finely-wrought and lustrous transporting lullabies are the result, with nine in the five-minute range and a couple of lovely placid interludes breaking the flow. A veritable wonderland of clicking beats and warm tones resounds amidst ripples of electronic gleam in “Trailing” while “Sitting in a Room” rather anomalously adds bass-heavy funkiness to the sparkling flow. Throughout this sophomore Near The Parenthesis effort, Arndt assembles mobile masses that, interestingly, are simultaneously heavy, in their density, and airy, in their brightness. "
Geiger (Denmark), January 2008
"Det amerikanske electronica-pladeselskab, n5MD, fortsætter deres stime af perfekt konstruerede albums, der appellerer til den kræsne, romantiske æstetiker. Seneste skud på stammen er Near The Parenthesis og Hologram. Begge bands passer optimalt til sloganet: "emotional experiments in music", der er blevet n5MDs varemærke. Bag navnet Near The Parenthesis gemmer sig Timothy Arndt. Som de fleste kunstnere, der er signet til n5MD, så foretrækker Arndt at "male" på et bredt kanvas. Albummets titel: Of Soft Construction er en fin indikator for æstetikken: Der er tale om silkebløde, lydlige konstruktioner, der smyger sig varmt om lytteren. n5MDs specialitet er at forene det organiske med det elektroniske. Der er ikke tale om nedbarberet click 'n' cut, men derimod om langsomt udfoldede musikalske strukturer, der indarbejder såvel lyde af traditionelle "rockinstrumenter" som guitar, keyboards, bas og trommer og sindrigt konstruerede beats. Of Soft Construction består af elleve numre, der alle rammer en blå stemning. På coverets inderside kan man læse en lille sentens, der fanger stemningen meget godt: "you're optimistic, where does that leave me?""
The Music Lobby, December 2007
"I'll admit that I first discovered this artist on the n5MD's One Five Zero compilation. Getting the entire album was a smart move! This carefully produced instrumental electronic album, accompanied by detailed beats and perfectly measured bass, with sweeps of transforming pads, cycling dynamics of piano, and occasional field recordings of distant voices, deliver all jonesing aspects of Electronica (is that still a genre?), placing [Near the Parenthesis], along the likes of Gridlock, Helios, Yasume, and Seven Ark. This San Francisco artist skillfully applies the formula that can never get too old for me. Just when I thought the world was drifting away from the overused elements, an album like this falls in my lap and stirs up all the good memories. For a free ride, check out NTP's contribution towards Sutemos on Intelligent Toys Vol 4. "
Boomkat, December 2007
"The Near The Parenthesis project is now on its second full-length album, and it's another permutation of n5MD's very modern take on instrumental electronica. There are certain signposts on the record that point towards a creative kinship with artists like Ulrich Schnauss or Manual - there's certainly a similar preoccupation with expansive melodic melodrama and finely crafted electronic beat-making. The glistening electronic chimes of 'It's Not Even Midnight' combine with lost voices in a crowd and underplayed, naturalistic drum programming to make for a compelling opener. Next comes 'Mare Nostrum', featuring Deaf Center-like cinematics and glitchy micro-beats, another prevalent sonic formula on the album, but for the sake of texture there are plenty of rhythm-breaking pieces that venture into slightly more awkward, ambient terrain. The deep digital gloss of 'Litnum' and For, From' makes for material that has more in common with 12k than IDM, resulting in some interesting, if not entirely original soundscaping. Once again, n5MD are doing a great job of keeping the electronica dream alive, and Near The Parenthesis offers another worthwhile, contemporary take on the genre."
AngryApe, November 2007
"San Francisco's Near The Parenthesis offers up a real lesson in restraint on his sophomore release Of Soft Construction, blending a sound that floats gently somewhere between Boards of Canada's nostalgic textures and Bola's euphoric, melodic style. His gentle, undulating brand of electronica is laden with over-lapping, celestial melodies that ebbs with discreet samples of radio station crackles, chilled chatter and distant playground sounds. With crisp production, complimented by cushioned synth pads and lightly distorted samples, Of Soft Construction runs like a tranquil soundtrack for those who prefer to sidestep the hustle and bustle of everyday life."