Cyclic Defrost, September 2006
"In much the same way as Akira Inagawas 2005 Lambent project These Days, the debut solo endeavour of Near the Parenthesis, Go Out and See, is one of those records that just work. Indeed, Go Out and See?s strength lays not just in its sonic and textural qualities, but in its arrangements and song structures. These are works that prove equally warm and glacial, immediate and distant, minimalist in terms of sonic motif, yet full and expansive in terms of compositional forethought and design. Near the Parenthesis manages to balance field recordings of city streets and throngs of passing conversation with gentle, eloquent electronic phrasing and fleeting instances of organic instrumentation. Moments of deft, heart-breaking melodic clarity appear as if from behind a cloud, before their gradual, ambient dissolution. The effect is remarkable, unguardedly emotive, engaging, affecting track after track of beauteous sonic cohesion. March>September proves a tear-jerker, while Anon Distant and I Remember it Differently see high-end organic and electronic embellishments dance atop dense synth melodics and restrained beats. Fraun and Must Every Path Cross also prove lovely moments, while Under Lights concludes the record in the strongest possible terms. Go Out and See may not blow your mind, but that's not its objective. This is the stuff of loneliness and loss and the hope of new realities, it is the stuff of one of this year's prettiest and most evocative electronic records."
XLR8R, July 2006
"Near the Parenthesis' taste for deep, layered musical compositions combined with his musical background make for soundscapes that drift between ethereal and melancholy so skillfully it's impossible to track how this artist moves from one musical point to the next, and such subtlety is likely to make him go far as a producer."
Textura, July 2006
"Go Out and See works a deeply emotive dimension into its melodic material that elevates it far above the merely pretty. Near the Parenthesis assembles its material from by-now familiar elements—field elements of voices and environmental noise, gently chattering beats, billowing electronics, glistening organ tones, subtle layers of glitch—but weaves them into affecting, often tender quasi-ambient compositions drenched with feeling. Cases in point, quietly euphoric pieces like “The Evasion of Like” and “I Remember It Differently” unfurl with a lush effervescence and melancholic wistfulness that's truly lovely. Only the fourth release issued on the Toronto-based MMBP (Music Made By People) label, Go Out and See impresses as a remarkably accomplished and fully-realized work."
The Wire, July 2006
"One day soon it may be necessary to carry out a study into why so many producers hide themselves away behind some impassive, self-effacing tag. One brief glance at the sleeve is enough to reveal that the glorious colours and broad vistas on Go Out And See are the work of Near the Parenthesis, while a minute or two online will inform you that he lives in San Francisco. Maybe neither revelation gets us closer to understanding why this particular individual has such a flair for mixing field recordings of people's apparently random chatter into his subdued and dreamy compositions. But what the hey...it's a start."