Ok, upfront, Aspen is a friend and is releasing a CD of my stuff, so if that nullifies this quick review, so be it. :) However, if not, read on.
I was actually very pleasantly surprised by Aspen's latest, 'Are You That Retail Snob?'. On first listen I found no more than about half of the tracks lept out at me, and the crisp, very synth based sound a little too clinical. However, lo and behold, I've found it's one of those nice growing releases that people have been yarning about... With each listen I find it easier to just lose myself in the wash or tease out the finer points, rather than hung up on little points of aesthetic difference.
I'd definitely say now it's a very solid release, and has something I've found lacking in some otherwise good albums: it actually hangs together as a whole, rather than sounding like a clearing of several years' back catalogue.
I also think, unlike some of the releases it has been compared to, such as BoC's 'Music has the Right to Children' or Bola's 'Soup', that 'Are You That Retail Snob?' is far more rhythmically interesting. Ok, sure, it's not drill n bass - the rhythms are quite sedate and drum machiney, and possibly taken second place to the washy chords - but there are plenty of little fills and variations that keep each track alive.
One thing that has surprised me in reviews I've read so far is that no one has compared it to Bionaut's 'Lush Life Electronica'. I don't actually think Aspen has heard the album in question, but if you ignore the production differences and look to the song writing, there are some real similarities.
Michael (all IMO, of course :P )
np. 'Riding the Roots Chariot' - Derrick Harriott
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