IDM Mailing Archive

On Tue, 2 May 1995, Jon Drukman wrote:

quoted 4 lines There is much to dislike about Freaky Chakra's debut album:

> > There is much to dislike about Freaky Chakra's debut album: > >liberal use of trite, canned percussion effects, > > er, like what exactly? it all sounds pretty unique to me.

Well, yes and no. Like I said, the percussion on the first two tracks is great, and also on some other tracks. I was referring specifically to the "clap" effect that pops up now and then and the synth-drum sounds on "Tra Vigne" (I think, don't have it here).

quoted 1 line the use of guitar is actually pretty minimal.

> the use of guitar is actually pretty minimal.

Yeah, true. This is actually a very minor point, but I would have liked the album better without it.

quoted 3 lines hackneyed?!? as far as i'm aware, the definition of hackneyed is

> hackneyed?!? as far as i'm aware, the definition of hackneyed is > "something that has been done before." if you've got a line on more stuff > like "Budded", i want to know about it.

I think it was more the mood or emotional content that I was referring to, and not necessarily the specific construction of the song. Moody ethereal female vocals and vaguely mystico-philosophical lyrics have been hard to avoid ever since the Cocteau Twins put out Garlands. I liked the much more sparing use of Halliday's (sp?) voice on "Peace Fixation." If that track had wound down at around seven or eight minutes, I think it would have much stronger.

quoted 3 lines i suppose if you're used to listening to something like aphex twin that

> i suppose if you're used to listening to something like aphex twin that > suddenly encountering a well-recorded and professionally produced LP can be > quite a shock.

Well, I'm used to listening to all sorts of records. I'll gladly concede that the album is well-recorded. The sounds are crisp and mixed together well. It's also very easy to tell that the record is a painstaking labor of love by a dedicated artist. From a purely technical standpoint, the record is nearly flawless. My real objection is that it seems like so much attention was paid to fitting the pieces together that the big picture was lost. This is what I was referring to when I spoke of "proper attention to detail." On the first two tracks, the number of elements are kept to a minimum and each is given the space it needs to really breathe and make its full impact. Elsewhere, tempos and progressions seem to be locked into overdrive.

quoted 3 lines well gee thanks. (another example of attention to detail: we mixed big

> well gee thanks. (another example of attention to detail: we mixed big > aura over and over because the echoplex "just wasn't quite right" each > time...)

I really like that sound. I haven't heard anything else like it and I think it works beautifully.

quoted 3 lines anyway, i read this review to daum. his reaction was "tell this guy that

> anyway, i read this review to daum. his reaction was "tell this guy that > me and mike kandel are gonna fly out there and sit on him while we play him > grateful dead and lynyrd skynyrd records."

Aieee! Now that's a SERIOUS threat! I take it all back. Please understand that my review was not meant to be a flame. I posted it because I've read a lot of very positive reviews of it here and I thought there was room for a dissenting opinion. As Greg said, I was certainly not looking to dislike this record. In fact, I pestered the clerk at the record shop for weeks just to get a copy. As Greg also said, this is clearly a matter of personal taste. I know a lot of people do like the album. Daum and Jon have obviously worked very hard on it and I hope their efforts are rewarded. I think there's room for all kinds of opinions on IDM as long as everyone is careful to explain and qualify their opinions and respect those of others. As I said earlier, there's a big difference between careless slagging or flaming and respectful disagreement. Onow: Speedy J - G Spot