Downtempo albums often get compared to movie soundtracks-both types of music, unless they‘re done incredibly well, come across as innocuous and forgetful, sinking into the background like a wilting wallflower. Perhaps in an attempt to escape this particular dilemma, Italian duo The Dining Rooms recorded their latest album, Experiments in Ambient Soul, with live instruments. While it gives this genre-hopper album a little more presence, overall the album is about as edgy as a Nerf sword. The Dining Rooms aim for grandeur, but their tight arrangements sound like something that‘s been heard many times before.