...THE ALBUM...
"An Announcement To Answer" is Quantic's most recent album (released in August of 2006). It took almost two years to produce, perhaps due to Will's extensive globe-trotting - the majority of which was in Africa, Mexico and Asia. Most of the album was put together whilst he visited these exotic locations, written and recorded on his laptop. While listening to the album's tracks, you clearly feel you're hopping between countries, with the music occasionally demonstrating a blend of various styles.

"An Announcement To Answer" features an amalgamation of traditional sounds of various countries. In 'Politik Society', African beats support Latin banjo's and trumpets. Similarly, the opening track 'Absence Heard Presence Felt' features Asian strings, as well as heavy hip-hop inspired bass. He incorporates the voices of rap artist Ohmega Watts, as well as the lead vocalist from acclaimed urban jazz band "The Rebirth", Noelle Scaggs. As with "The 5th Exotic", Holland is evidently describing his varied travels, delivering it with an extremely cool and addictive musical experience.

'An Announcement To Answer'
Beginning with a drum roll, and quickly joined with bouncy Latin trumpets and an edgy beat. Occasionally, South American flutes resonate in the background, and 60's inspired saxophones circle energetically. With some groovy guitar work adding some well-needed uplifting elements, the track builds up nicely to a calming finale.

'Bomb In A Trumpet Factory'
As the title suggests, this track heavily features trumpets. It is the shortest track on the album, but is a nice little medley of sampled trumpet sounds and a fast, bouncy tempo. The high-pitched trumpets, partnered with deeper brass instruments, perfectly demonstrate the 'call and answer' notion Holland is keen to explore with this album. A very groovy tune, but at times sounds a little too active and energetic.

'Ticket To Know Where (featuring Ohmega Watts)'
Opening with some sombre trumpet solos, this track is another hip-hop offering. It features a great, albeit unusual, combination of groovy guitar riffs, Latin brass and heavy rap lyrics. A strange sampled chorus of traditional trumpets appears throughout, joined towards the end with some Russian violin work. Whilst it might sound messy to people unfamiliar with Quantic's trademark concoctions of musical styles, it is actually really well put together. Holland efficiently blends elements that work perfectly with each other, producing of the outstanding tracks on the album.

...PRODUCT DESIGN...
The album cover for "An Announcement To Answer" is a great piece of work - a man standing against the sepia backdrop of a lazy South American city. It captures the traditional Latino essence of many of the tracks, emphasising 'old meets new' by incorporating modern elements such as the electricity poles. On the back, a beautiful image of the sun amongst clouds, presented in sepia earthy colours, is the background for the track list. Overall, the design of the album is flawless in terms of being an accompaniment to the music, and also symbolises Holland's position as a musician and avid traveller.

In my opinion, "An Announcement To Answer" is a lot slicker and much more polished than his previous albums. It shows that he is still in the same league as other culturally diverse dance bands, such as Thievery Corporation and Groove Armada. Tracks such as 'Absence Heard Presence Felt' and 'Politik Society' are simply outstanding, staying modern whilst embracing traditional elements. Holland's ability to merge such a variety of sounds is unsurpassed in terms of his subtlety.