Brainbox.
Screwy name for a band/artist/project.
It fits somehow, once you've listened a few spins around the block. Didn't
you ever wonder how one goes around a block? You would either need to
follow a radius so small that you would plaster your face against each and
every available corner, like that dog that chased parked cars, or a radius
so large (to avoid the corners) that you would run serious risk to your
future generations against the stair railings of houses on the adjoining
blocks. Catty-cornered, that is. The only hope is to learn to fly. Which
happens as soon as you notice that it's a near Beatles-riff (Dear Prudence?
Jurisprudence?) in that Enigma rip-off APL song, as in that Beaumont
Hannant + Lida Husik cut (yeh, "Haunt Me", not as good as "Starburst 7",
but who really names their songs after petroleum byproduct candy,
especially since it's the eighth song, and one would have therefore
reasonably expected "Pez 8" to be the seventh song, but one would have
expected wrong, and found disappointment instead of that missing sock
you've searched for all your life). Never liked the Beatles, but I have
indeed been to Spain. Didn't like that too much either, so I went to
Italy. Ah, Firenze. La dolce vita.
I'll stop before I begin free associating. I hate when that happens.
Brainbox.
So what's it to be tonight? A night on the town? Checking out the new
Palmer's Social Club? Sounds a bit affected. I'll remember to not bring a
cigar.
So, the name of the band is Brainbox, the name of the record is
"Primordia", no soup required, unless you have a cold. No chicken soup;
that chicken might have been your great-grandfather.
You can find sound samples on a Web site of Nettwerk Records. Somebody
list the url if you know it.
The cover features an inflated spikey blobby plant thing which may or may
not be a hyper-magnified microscopic spikey blobby plant thing. Reminds me
of at least six other record covers which I could only name now under
threat of watching that damn MTV game show that runs at night instead of
FSOL videos.
You may all already know this. So what. Call me an idm-list neophyte.
Just don't call me before noon. But this is a very smooth record. Live
instrumentation blends effectively (a rare treat, non-jarringly, as we all
hate jarred treats - it's tricky, don't sweat it) with programmed matter.
Flutey sounds. Yes, some guitars. Don't worry, no metal-mastur solos.
Just rhymeful rhythms. No, real men don't use spellcheckers. Oh, and
sweet Frippydippy chords. Even a trumpet lost in there somewhere.
"Hello? Did I come to the wrong studio?" "It doesn't matter, just play."
The moanful sighs or sighful moans on "Salt and Velvet" drive me mad,
especially when one considers all the implications of the song title. Not
really any songs, as no one sings. Just moans and hums and sighs.
It's a rather old record. 1994. We call that old. If Georgie O only
knew. It's all coming true in the name of Bill Gates. Did you know that
Rodin's famous masterwork, the "Gates of Hell", was named after -
TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED -
Is this a review?
I don't know.
Let's see if Lord Parry casts it into the idm-reviews dungeon!
Then we'll know.
Tanks for the "Threads" disc, BTW. Much talent on this list. Too much.
I'm here to bounce off the curve. Don't ask me what that means. It's some
kind of university-speak which is actually never used, not even in
universities, and certainly not in academia.
There once was a song about "Brainbag Boogie" or some other godforsaken
title, so it all ties together in some sick mad-scientist Matt Groenig kind
of way.
So, the back cover features Mr. Brainbox himself in silhouette, accompanied
by a giant ant riding on a planet-colored grape or grape-shaped planet or
one of those bouncy spherical toy horses which young girls like to bounce
on in a way which should bring on the interest of child pornographers the
world around. Or of Brian Eno. Non-sequitur/or. No kidding, Stephen
Hawking.
The beats. R&B? A little faster. Sloooow hip-hop. Then speed it up and
it's jungle. Then it's drum AND bass. Stop perverting our language into
McDonaldspeak, thank you. Then a bit more and it's brrrrrrreeaakkbeat.
Play that beat. 120 BPM into sonic mayhem.
Alright. I would say this record is very cool, if I used such foul
language. Even unique.
Will we hear more from Mr. Brain? Or has he hidden in his box forever,
misunderstood and bitter, planning his revenge on the world?
Listen to the wind, you can almost hear him say - "Fools! I'll destroy
them all!!!"
Best fishes,
Zenon M. Feszczak
Ambient Neurologist