IDM Mailing Archive

Mouse on Mars - 'Niun Niggung' This is easily my favorite Mouse on Mars album and the best CD reviewed in this email. Early favorites are 'mykologics' and 'dispotek' but this is one of those releases where over time different tracks will become 'favorites', as they all have plenty to offer. There's alot to be said for cohesion in an album, but 'Autoditacker' was just too samey for me. So while I really enjoyed parts of it, it had a very short shelf life for me. Plus, it fell victim to the 'I now identify this music with an unhappy time in life so can't enjoy it' syndrome. 'Niun Niggung' has desirable cohesion without being repetitious. There is definitely a particular 'sound' that characterizes this release, but the various tracks still are different enough from one another to be very interesting. I'm not gonna spoil what that certain 'sound' is, because I found it enjoyably surprising on first listen and I think others will too. I will reveal however my opinion that 'albion rose' is a track that is significantly more musical and moving than 99% of all known idm. Solvent - 'Solvently One Listens' I like this record a good bit, but I was expecting more from the hype on the IDM list. 'leaches' does stand out as funky. In my opinion there are some interesting sounds, but a key component is missing in many cases.. the melodies. I'd enjoy this album more if it had Depeche Mode or New Order style vocals to go with the rhythm tracks. Either that or more pronounced synth melodies ala the undisputed retro-romanticism master, Bochum Welt. That said it is sadly ironic that track 1 (the title track) sounds like a less accomplished rendition of 'Feelings on a Screen' when the melody comes in at 0:25. Tied + Tickled Trio I've been disappointed almost every time in the past by records claiming to combine jazz and electronic/experimental production. I'm not referring to acid-jazz or 'jazzy' sample-based music.. Greyboy, Amon Tobin and that sort are favorites of mine. Rather I'm talking about supposedly 'jazzy' and post-rock acts like Rome, MM&W, Tortoise, etc. It's not that the records were very bad, it's just that I really like authentic jazz, and really like electronic music, and want to hear a really good combination of them. Tied + Tickled Trio is the first one I've heard that does it in a way that is interesting and musical. Track one is electronic, but something about it sounds a bit more developed than usual, I'm thinking it's the fact that the melody, while played on a synth, consists of something other than a looped figure. Track two, 'mutant', literally superimposes tasteful, midtempo (and real) upright bass, (actual) acoustic piano, and an autechre-like distorted high-hat. Nothing fancy, just a white-noise timekeeper. Then the electronic percussion recedes and a jazz alto sax appears. Not a jazzy sax sample, not a session acid-jazz player, not a post-rocker with a harmonia, but a bona fide sax player. With a horn, a well placed mic, a musical vocabulary, the works. Another high point is 'nordlied', which like 'mutant' combines actual jazz bass and sax with some subtle electronic percussion to form a really nice little number. It definitely doesn't sound like a Nord demo track. The rest of the record is split evenly between darkish electronic atmospheres and the jazz/electronics combination described above. The result goes down smooth and is a great length at 35 minutes. Various Artists - 8, 8.5, 9 - Remixes I'm a big fan of Chain Reaction and its associated labels, so I'm always game for CR-related material. This CD release also boasts some great remixers: Arovane, Funkstörung, Ae, Pole, Monolake. 'no. 8' is fine, and a fun time with or without headphones. 'no. 9' is a little less involved. I have to admit, if I cranked up AudioMulch and this is what came out (not a stretch), I would not feel compelled to record 12 minutes worth for posterity. Arovane take 'no. 8' and replace the four-off-the-floor feel with a more direct, essentially rock-like boom-chick--boom-chick beat. The result is a nice mobile variation of the Chain Reaction sound. Funkstörung make something pretty cool out of 'no. 9', but it doesn't sound very musical to me. The ae2 mix of 'no. 8' is an Autechre track. It is possible that they used 'no. 8' as the raw material for their sounds, but you can't tell by listening. I like the original better, and I like lp5 and ep7 better. So.. Pole turns in a great remix. The original 'no. 9' is there, but underneath Pole's shifting layers of fuzz, pop, and dubstyle flanged echoes and quiet bass. Monolake turn in an atmospheric piece based on '8.5'. Washes of sound give way to a rhythmic experiment. The building repeated single note motif reminds me of the music from The Terminator. A good track, but Monolake are another favorite of mine. I wanted more from this. Cheers - Brad S --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org