No, you're not alone in your summation. It's been really hard for me to get into this. The sound is so different from the classic Roach we all know, and expect--maybe this is the "problem." This album is not drowned in reverb and the music is more "up front," if that makes sense. If ECM went purely "electronic", maybe this would be the result? I had a good listen at work today and started to appreciate what he did here. This is one you might need to put on the shelf for awhile and come back to with new ears.