Corny it may seem, yet sometimes it paid off. That's how we first heard Mark Shreeve, Wavestar, Synergy, Software, William Orbit, Patrick O'Hearn, Emerald Web, Steve Roach and Richard Burmer, to name a few. How would SFIM have fit into this? Systems Theory — okay, a somewhat interesting group name or pseudonym. Soundtracks For Imaginary Movies — well, a title like that would have caused a small commotion. After a brief melée, the successfully "intercepted" SFIM tape or disc would've been taken to the front counter for purchase by the victor, after which we would have reconvened at his abode (with a brief stop at 7-11 for Super Big Gulps) for the Breaking Of The Plastic and the Listening Of The New. Ill feelings would have mixed with glee upon the realization that Systems Theory was a trio, just like Tangerine Dream! Ill feelings from the guys who didn't get to buy it, that is. How briskly those Maxell XL II's sold in those days!

Systems Theory, as we all know by now, is the alliance between Greg Amov, Steven Davies-Morris, and Mike Dickson. The Theory is also much more than an electronic act; synths are ubiquitous, but pianos, organ, violin, and guitars are also spoken for. The Mellotron M400 (a real one) springs to regal life on these Movies — Dickson's 'Tron library isn't just limited to the traditional strings, choirs and flutes we're preconditioned to expect: bass clarinet, "mixed" brass, church organ, and one sample called "Ian McDonald Flute" also come into play, no pun intended. 'Tronheads will go nuts! While a suspiciously polyrhythmic method to the madness lends many of the tracks a thickset and often rockin' feel, the album does has its ambient moments, but even those aren't wholly devoid of dynamics like a few of, say, Steve Roach's exercises based on chained breve-tones and little else.

"The Cool Vibe Of Asia C" doesn't resemble pornscore, not even vaguely. It's far too angular and textured, reasonably Djam Karet-esque in nature (and that title sounds like something they'd come up with, too!). "Four Piece Suit" is a surrealist thirteen-minute suite in four parts; the "Larks' Loons In Linen" segment is four too-short minutes of glorious 'Tron choir peppered by conveyor belt tech tones. "Silent Service" is a primer on "dynamic ambient" structures, with just the right quantity of errant timbre drizzled over the pervasive primal thump that recurs throughout much of the album. The drum programming is tops. Scattered piano notes, crashing shore waves, gulls and thunderclaps mark "A Lifeboat, Tallulah And Me."

The first of the last trio of tunes, "Zero Sum Equation," is a most stupendous composition, one that awaits its cue in some yet-to-be-filmed opus of excess further on in Dario Argento's career. The 'Tron lines and drumming are spot-on — I say drumming because the programming is bound to fool most pairs of ears. Aided by guest Dun Strummin's lead guitar and the violin talent of Cyndee Lee Rule, aural glimpses of Wallenstein's debut, Ashra's Correlations, and Ponty's Civilized Evil flash throughout like a phantasmal rogue's gallery. It isn't often a track of such quality to match the old masters comes about — here's one.

An almost-perfect amalgamation of Kraut rock, world music, and Frankfurt School, Berlin School, and melodic electronic styles, Soundtracks For Imaginary Movies is a labor of love for Messrs. Amov, Davies-Morris, and Dickson. From the trance rock of "Green Miata Baja Bound" to the marginally atonal piano motif of "One Step To Freefall," this is a certifiably kaleidoscopic journey. Overall, Side Two and Side Three are the more engaging two, but there is so much to absorb, some seesawing is only natural! I'm already looking forward to the sophomore Systems Theory release, which will bear the title of Codetalkers.