Sorry about the formatting of my previous attempt. Hopefully that's fixed now-
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
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