Sonogram - Vinyl Studies

When he’s not busy running Simulacra Records, making stygian ambient under the name Tear Ceremony, or cutting hushed indie rock as Crushed Stars, Todd Gautreau sleeps. He does this, presumably, to get inspiration for his other project: Sonogram. On this, the fourth album under the name, Gautreau continues in the same vein as his previous work. The tracks are short, vignettes similar to the self-contained compositions of Boards of Canada or the dearly departed Plone — proving that ambient doesn’t need to be lengthy to be involving. He simply takes one idea, gently mulls over its possibilities and then abandons it in favor of another. Contemplative, otherworldly, and bewitching, it’s the stuff of dreams..- emusic

Sonogram - Substrates

It's somtimes an artist's earliest creations that exude the most truthful emotion. Substrates is adrip with this fresh authenticity.
A seamless fusion of rich, organic instrumentation and lush, pixelated soundscapes.- XLR8R

A masterful achievement. - STYLUS

Substrates brightens any room it enters. - Splendid

Sonogram - Arrival Lounge

The various synth textures are indeed beautiful. Shades of Fender Rhodes, Moog and Farfisa envelop the listener in their lush warmth...truly wonderful melodies. - XLR8R

Conjuring the futureworld of Blade Runner and THX-1138, the Chicago group Sonogram builds songs out of thick squiggles of electronics, ruthlessly minimal and perfectly antiquated. "Arrival Lounge" bears an eerie similarity to Radiohead's "Everything in its Right Place", but where that song fractured and unwound, "Arrival Lounge" chirps and quivers like a mechanical bird. "Hovering the Velodrome" blinks like fluorescent lighting and "Radial Blur", with its fat splotches of synth and strange mosquito whistle, could be the soundtrack to Tarkovsky's Stalker. Arrival Lounge is an eerie, 3 a.m. record full of tubes and wires and blinking lights.- emusic

In a day and age where Brazilian rhythms and rehashed bossa nova classics are appropriated by well-dressed Austrian DJs for martini swilling crowds in jet-set lounges, Sonogram gives a welcome alternative for the laptop set desperately needing a break from all of Squarepusher noise and Kid606 mashups. -The Brain

Sonogram collects some rather unusual sounds and bleeps assembled around more recognizable electric pianos, guitars or flutes, organised into low-key constructions... compositions have a definite cinematic twist to them. Beautiful creations such as Proximity, Dramamine, Mood Ring, the short interlude of Soft Geometry, or Aeronaut are all intense and evocative -The Milk Factory

Sonogram creates plush interiors and abstract rhythms that warm the heart and the mind. Comprised entirely of original sounds (no sampling); "Arrival Lounge" gives ambient fans a unique variety of trippy and dreamy sounds. Sound distortions are so heavy on "Dramamine" the it almost has an electronic rain feel to it. Sonogram sinks into the deep cavities of your mind with a variety of musical sounds. Really something different and original for those who are patient enough to let this one in. -Electrogroove

Sonogram - Heartbeat Submarines

Meditative, slow motion analog love songs. Devoid of beats, incorporating vaguely ethnic samples and warm lullaby harmonics. Heartbeat Submarines will usher in a whole new era for ambient music. A must-have.
-XLR8R

Harkens to electronic music's early days, when shape and shade meant more than speed and style. Let long loops of sound drift around you, while wisps of trippy, trancey neurotica frame wide expanses of textured earstuff. Heartbeat Submarines will nestle gently in the lobes Glittering with analog sonics, lo-fi synth and the shadow of a Moog.
-Magnet

Just when you think the ambient genre is dead, some special recording comes along to renew faith. A useful aid to the discriminating chiller's lifestyle. Best suited for drifting off to sleep while recalling your childhood memories. -The Skinny

Few groups have been as aptly named as Sonogram, whose pleasant, minimalist electronic music creates a virtual womb in which to curl up right inside one's speakers or headphones. Totally original stuff, a savvy, satisfying update of ambient music.
-Amazon

Burbling keyboard melodies slathered over thick cushion-like beds of impenetrable sound. A soundtrack for your mind's wandering.
-Splendid

Gleaming new constructions assembled at unusual angles, in quasi-futuristic arrangements with unusual shapes painted in unfamiliar colors.
-Ambientrance (link to full review)

Simulacra is growing into a leading label of ambient music.
-Vital

A minimalist masterpiece of slow-fi techtronics. Each piece is a tableau of sonic surrealism.
-Auricle (link to full review)

Pleasant, haunting melodies. Passively captivating.
-Ambience for the Masses (link to full review)

Shrill sonar transmissions and humming drones, drenched in a thick aqueous reverb. A lo-fi assault on your consciousness.
-Last Sigh (link to full review)

Echoing unidentifiable sounds lie in front of a backdrop of peaceful ambience and muted drones...mimimalistic melodies fade in and out.
-Grinding Into Emptiness (link to full review)

The subtleties evade quantification. One to wallow in...this is a label to watch.
-Ambience