LFO - "Advance" (Warp CD39)
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Advance / Shut Down / Loch Ness / Goodnight Vienna / Tied Up / Them /
Ultra Schall / Shove Piggy Shove / Psychodelik / Jason Vorhees / Forever
/ Kombat Drinking
After more than five years of anticipation and suspense, the follow up
to 1991's acclaimed debut "Frequencies" finally hits our high streets on
Monday. "Advance" is perhaps one of the most eagerly awaited dance
records so far this decade (think Stone Roses) which makes writing a
review somewhat of a daunting task. Quite why its taken so long to
produce this record is unclear (Bell: "Bog off!"): excuses offered in
the press release include "breathing," "washing," "sleeping," "cups of
tea" and "more cups of tea." Other than that, I'm none the wiser. That
the record finally has arrived is a fact which can barely be avoided,
thanks to the bright and garish (but really rather nice) orange, silver
and silvery-purple packaging.
The LFO sound has moved forward since "Frequencies" and certainly has a
sharper edge, but those who anticipated a radical departure into noise
and distortion after the unexpected ear-bashing of 1994's "Tied Up"
single were wrong. "Tied Up" is included here, and while it's harder
than anything else on "Advance," it seems perfectly at home amongst its
younger companions. The quirky, rough-edged, electro-tinged pop of
"Frequencies" has evolved into a more refined brand of techno, leaving
behind the fuzzed-up vocal samples to concentrate on sound textures and
dynamics. Whereas "Frequencies" was basically a dance record, LFO on
"Advance" seem to have assimilated undefinable qualities from certain of
their Warp stable mates (most notably Autechre) and subscribed to the
listening music school of thought. That's not to say that there isn't
dance music on "Advance," it's just that, as a whole, it's more varied
and thought provoking.
"Advance" is a schizophrenic record - an album of mood swings - veering
disconcertingly between the dramatic, percussive intensity of "Advance"
and "Shut Down", the intriguing curiosity of "Them" , the relentless
distortion of "Tied Up" and the warm, mellowness of "Ultra Schall" and
"Shove Piggy Shove." There's even room for out-and-out ambience in the
form of "Goodnight Vienna" and "Forever," and a short, nostalgic trip to
more familiar LFO territory with "Psychodelik." "Jason Vorhees" overlays
smooth, icy sheets of chilling synth with harsh and jagged percussion,
whereas "Loch Ness" is like a repetitive, techno-march which gradually
gathers energy and momentum. The last track, "Kombat Drinking," begins
life as a frantic, bleep techno number, but mutates half way through to
form the shimmering ambience which brings "Advance" to a soothing close.
"Advance" will inevitably be one of the top ten releases for 1996. Given
that, can you afford to miss it ?
We are reasonable people.
Released 29 January, 1996.
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s e n d c d s f o r r e v i e w t o :
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||||\\ //|||| ___ //////////////////////
|||| \\// |||| ||// \\ /////
|||| |||| |||. ____ ///// Paul Jarvis,
\\\\\ ///// John Innes Centre,
\\\\\ ///// Norwich Research Park,
jarvisr@bbsrc.ac.uk \\\\\// Colney, Norwich NR4 7UH,
England, United Kingdom.
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