Date: Tue, 13 Sep 1994 16:13:49 -0600
From: Jeff Davis <jjdavis@xnet.com>
To: idm-owner@hyperreal.com
Subject: AFX AB4 Review
Richard D. James has delivered yet another in his series of
Analogue Bubblebaths, and the latest is truly a sonic cleansing.
The only catch is that to get to the bubble rinse cycle, you must
also progress through the rough agitate cycle. On the CD version
of this release, you alternate through these modes, which prevents
you from ever settling into a listening posture. You really don't
know what will hit you next, but that's okay. With AFX, you're in
good hands.
Track 1 opens with the faucet plinking and dripping softly, then
BOOM! - rough acid beat wash cycle. On first listen, this
reminded me of a reworked "Quoth", but upon further listen I began
to notice and appreciate more here. The entire beat loop is
overlaid with an eerily distorted church steeple, chiming away
somewhere in the distance. Is it trying to escape from the AFX
beat assault? Only RDJ knows. The beat loop has an interesting
incorporated sample of either a lock closing or machinery clutch
engaging. The assault is relentless here, with only a scratch
break to interrupt the barrage. All the while, a distorted scream
reminiscent of an elephant trumpeting reminds you that it's okay
to feel scared by this track. It ends as quickly and abruptly as
it starts.
Track 2 is an interim bubble rinse which opens with an AFX
birdcall leading into a squirty, squirrelly jingle which reminds
me to no end of an old "Dead or Alive" or "Berlin" song, but
which could just as easily be the background track to a video
game. It's enjoyable nonetheless, and a relief after track one.
The birds are brought back in periodically in the background and
the hurdy gurdy is altered and smeared so slightly and gradually
as it is cross-sequenced to a higher level of complexity. Some
nice subdued background percussive programming is added to the mix
later in the track. The layers are slowly peeled back until we
are left with the bass track and the birds and then -- it's over.
Track 3 is the 2nd agitate cycle, which opens with a pounding
squonk leading into a frenzied popcorn popper. The machinery is
thus engaged and brought up to full raucous speed. This one is
slightly more musical than the first agitate, in that a taunting
melody loop is overlaid over the pounding machinery. Some of the
most effecting moments, however, are when this melody is
disengaged without advance warning and the listener is left with
only the four-cycle pounding to support his forward motion. The
mechanical motor for this piece is processed through a sonic
muffler later in the track, and we hear briefly the church chimes
from the first agitate cycle still trying desperately to escape
from AFX's maniacal machinery. This one also ends quickly and
decisively.
The final bubble rinse cycle opens with a developing synapse
tickling percussive layer which is quite pleasurable because the
trilled rolls are rapid enough to be misconstrued as low frequency
tones, but they are also soft enough to just tickle the back of
your eyelids. This drum basis is mutated and elaborated on
throughout the entire track. A sonic ice pick is added on the
upside of the second beat in each measure of this 147bpm piece.
It is a ricochet sounding impulse which could be a heartbeat or
Evan Dando's "It's a shame about Ray" speeded up to a 15
millisecond pulse for all we know. This Chinese water torture
plinking is initially quite disturbing, but it quickly becomes
familiar and thus comforting, although definitely at odds with the
soft ambient washings which compose the bulk of this final
soothing bubble rinse.
The CD-only outro to ABIV is a twistedly processed sampled
discourse in Kneivelian philosophy, as espoused by Evil himself:
"There's a very fine line between scared and concerned". A
fitting statement on listening to Richard James' music and one
certainly echoed by my neighbors when I play ABIV at appropriate
volume.
Although the split personality nature of ABIV never allows one to
get too comfortable, it does make for an enjoyable listen. The
rough agitate tracks sonically pound off the troublesome soils and
the softer bubble rinse tracks gently pulse the dirt away. I'm
running out to get quite dirty, so I'll be ready for ABV!!!
Jeff Davis ____--~~~~~~vvvv~~~~ oo
jjdavis@xnet.com____---- ( ( ( vvvv ~~~~~~ooooooooooo
___----( ( \ \ \ \ \vvv oooooooooooooo 815.772.1260
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