The second of two new installments from DreamLab, a series of releases from the newly-formed Club DreamLab label which is dedicated to electronic music, features driving beats, trance influences, and worshipful lyrics strewn all the way through. This installment, produced by Magellan (aka Nashville producer Paul Buono), entitled Tranceformation, is slightly better than its companion, Technodelic, but the question remains - does it contain enough of a difference from the other project to warrant buying?

The beats on some of the highlights on the album (such as the intro track "The One" and "Taste The Heavens") are very well produced and give off a very accomplished techno feel, while the lyrics and vocals tend to bring down every song to, at the very most, a mediocre level. The lyrics tend to be very simple and unoriginal, constantly repeated throughout the average 4-5 minute song. The female vocal that is used on many tracks seems to work but it doesn't save the project from the overall disengaged feel of the whole album. Another highlight is "Streets of Gold," but it, along with other tracks, seems very choppy and thrown together, and also sounds the same as the other tracks that are even worth listening to. Many times with techno records, it tends to be all about the music and the feeling, and because of that, lyrics and vocals are not always used. It seems that on this release, DreamLab would have done much better if they had dropped all forms of vocals, and left this recording with the music only.

The only seemingly disappointing track all the way around is "Shout," which boasts a very bizarre vocal and even worse incorporation of acoustic guitar into a techno beat. Next time, DreamLab should try just focusing on the music, rather than lyrics and vocals, and maybe their releases will be stronger. Still, for now, I would pass on this and look forward to next month when Andy Hunter makes his long-anticipated return.