Nautical AlmanacRooting for the Microbes (LOAD) 2004 No electricity was employed in the music making process of Nautical Almanac's 217th album 'Rooting for the Microbes'. Watch yr back Wolf Eyes - if noise contortionists NA can get huge fuzz and birdkill like these thirteen cuts off of waterpower and shooting stars alone, a comeback battle at SXSW may end up sealing an exciting band's career. That AND they named their laboratory Diamond Eyes - talk about getting cut to the fucking core. I'm pretty sure I have seen the kung-fu flick they sampled on "reason: mythology built upon physickall vortextualation", but as I sit here and weep learning the untimely demise of Ol' Dirty Bastard, my mind cannot grasp the film's title. Headphones are optional - I suggest a room of wall-to-wall tweeters.. . huge fucking all-you-can-eat platter sized tweeters. Baltimore should be proud, Bethesda best keep one eye open... . DO NOT BLINK. This is the sound of 1 million synapses frying, equally spliced into microscopic fractions of a ceraceous exopeptidase. "Cross Dementia" alone will keep you up at night, best to give that one a listen during business hours. +
k 11.16.04
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The NeinWrath of Circuits ( Sonic Unyon ) 2005 If you're looking for some sort of Killers, Kaiser Chiefs or Franz Ferdinand, non-threatening, 80s-revivalist schtick you'll want to give The Nein a pass. If on the other hand, you were ever wondering what Wire, Magazine or Devo might have sounded like if their careers had begun 20 years later, and were fronted by a snarling Elvis Costello or a more tuneful Guy Picciotto, then Wrath of Circuits is for you. Raucous, explosive and completely unafraid of bending (or breaking) genres, The Nein combine late 70's No Wave mechanicism with new millennium sampling technology to create a sound that is truly all their own. From the throbbing build of opener "Faint Sounds", to the last crunches of "Bleeding Elvis", Wrath of Circuits has an insistent, earnest, space-age primitivism that will not be denied. Even the CD artwork, a cartoonish series of drawings of body parts and deconstructed faces, has a sneering, Dadaist undercurrent to it. This CD may not be gentle... hell, it's not even nice, but for those who actually seek out new and challenging music, it's well worth checking out. Denis
Desharnais
08.12.05 |
Neon BlondeChandeliers in the Savannah ( DIM MAK ) 2005 (The) Blood Brothers have never been one the more accessible acts placed before us, and with Neon Blonde the odds of global domination are near even. Near even (hear: "Crystal Beaches Never Turned Me On"). Neon Blonde places Johnny Whitney and Mark Gajadhar - vocalist and drummer of Blood Brothers respectfully - in their very own DIM MAK jewel case (following a 12"/EP earlier this year) and tosses (m)any rules of modern music to the FM curb. When you reach "Chandeliers and Vines", the third offering here, most of (the) Blood Brothers juice has escaped these 2 guys and some serious experimenting comes to surface. Bubbling above a layer of piano & snare drum is Johnny Whitney channeling Freddie Mercury with a vengeance (Dude! Johnny Venus would be a fucking rad stage name! "When I close my eyes, I see this thing, a sign, I see this name in bright blue neon lights with a purple outline. And this name is so bright and so sharp that the sign - it just blows up because the name is so powerful.. .It says, "Johnny Venus" ). Play this one blindly for any casual fan of Whitney's previous works (Soiled Doves exempt) and I'd place odds at 9 out of 10 missing the connection. Now, letting the listener pass the 2 minute mark may void these odds, 'cause the shit gets technical around that section with a minor spazz-out then a slight regrouping. I'm hoping these 2 insomniacs weren't looking to bury any relation to their bigger band when forming Neon Blonde (listed as the "alter ego"), for the Blood seeps through on many occasions here - making Chandeliers in the Savannah another stone to collect for lovers of the Brothers already. The shit's obviously getting technical up there in Seattle - everyone's watching their back for fear of The Fall of Troy. Play on my glitchy patrons of paradise, glitch on.. . "I wanna watch you bleeeeeeed". Here's to Neon Blonde & DIM MAK for making music they love no matter what the fuck you and your Mother think about it. Dude! Have you heard Battles? Oh shit - so good. Dirk
Diggler-o
10.27.05
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NeotropicWhite Rabbits (MUSH) 2004 When examining her career in leftfield electronics, Riz Maslen (Neotropic) seems like the child of serendipity. I guess what I mean to say is that her bio is heavy on that right place/right time type of shit. Seriously, pull up her entry on AMG. Reading along, you'll think, "OK, so she collaborated with the Future Sound of London before they devolved into a pair of snotty, self-parodying hacks. Well, that was pretty fortuitous. And, yo, in the mid-1990's she parleyed a handful of songs into a contract with the then on-fire Ninja Tune label. Wow." You pause and remember a time when Ninja Tune could not be stopped, when their every release enjoyed vigorous print fellatio from the giddy music press. "So what's she up to now?" You read on, and think, "Slots at Montreux and Coachella! Contract with Mush Records! Mush of Her Space Holiday, cLOUDDEAD and Daedelus fame? That lucky bitch!" This is not meant to imply that Maslen's talent does not merit her good fortune or that her output (two really excellent records and another rather decent one) do not deserve praise. On the contrary, Maslen has made some fantastic music. She's stretched instruments to remarkable ends and parsed and reconstituted breaks better than most beatsmiths. It remains interesting to me, however, just how Maslen's story has turned out. After all those fascinating rhythms, the cinematic luminosity La Prochaine Fois, and her fortunate-for-experimental past, we're left with this White Rabbits business, a less than wholly satisfying affair. At its best, White Rabbits offers demonstration of Maslen's native ability, technical skill, and gift for drawing tracks from disparate elements. Yet, at its worst, the record puffs out the stereobox sounding like an uninspired version of the Microphones splayed over purloined Orb out-takes. Where have we heard this before? Well, everywhere, and while it's no less accomplished, a more than casual listen will leave one feeling that the record is just too inconsequential, too blah. This is not from the lack of trying. For the Neotropic moniker's fourth release, Maslen picks up a ton of instruments, plucks and toots here and there, and then dreamily edits the results into pleasant, sometimes nearly formless compositions. The record succeeds when the ambient constructions and electro/acoustic instrumentations have a certain tension, and the "found sound" elements unfold to filter through the rest rather than falling limp atop the track. "Inch Inch" stands as a fine example. The song sports a beat chopped lightly into martial chipperness and a jaunty but still somewhat subdued piano. Is it brilliant? No, but it¹s more than serviceable, and when Maslen samples the buzz of quotidian life and develops it like micro-sonic theater, the song succeeds very well. The record also works when songs try not to bridge too many genres or methods. The short ambient sketches "Doity Round-A-Heights" and "Small Moves" come off reasonably well while the hidden rock movement of "If We Were Trees", which bursts and harangues the listener after several minutes of silence, stands up to strict scrutiny. However, matters do slide into some turn-this-shit-off territory for several moments amid "Magpies", a song that seems to be channeling elements of ambient Sinead O'Connor garbage. An only nominally clichéd beat and well worked string section find themselves betrayed by cheesy intrusions and pretentious pratfalls, namely the vocal work. Is this what happens when ambient trip hop-inflected techno goes all sloppy Kindergarten Enya on you? Yes. (To be fair, the very last movement with sampled footfalls and early Eno-sounding synth pads achieves its goals and almost redeems the track.) Similarly, there is "Feelin' Remote" featuring the capable but needless guest harmonica playing of a Joff Watkins. Oh, this must be the song for which the dippy kiddies at Coachella went banana batshit. Roots music and tech, except Matmos showed us how it was done on The Civil War, and Four Tet's attempts are not only funkier, they just work when this drags about. Perhaps I'm simply not in line with the neo-Neotropic aesthetic, which is amorphous, insular, oftentimes pretty and weightless - things not bad in themselves, just not well put together in this instance. I'm of the opinion that the record would benefit from refocusing, some tightening the compositions, and a little cutting of the extraneous gestures. Word up: I'd go back to Pro Tools and snip like a plastic surgeon on crank, and then sift the ashes of Harold Budd (who¹s still alive, so this would require his execution) on the master tapes. Bold strokes, Riz! Bold strokes! Sean
Corley Burke 12.14.04
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The New Transit Directionwonderful defense mechanisms ( Some ); 2004 Straight out of Salt Lake City comes The New Transit Direction - a brilliant blend of intelligent rock in the similar frame of 'To Bury Within The Sound'-era Engine Down, Cursive and your choice of the early 90's Dischord roster. It's surely an album of unexpected "they're gonna be big" that you rush to the streets to tell everyone about. The studio time (with Jon Congleton [Paper Chase] ) was skillfully executed, as vocals are sometimes multi-tracked and often makes vox / guitarist Josh Asher sound like he's in another room entirely (see: 'Conditions'). The entire band is exceptional, and they shine entirely on stunners like 'Anonymous' with it's seamlessly calculated rhythm, drum and bass that lay the perfect foundation for Asher to chant off one of 'wonderful defense mechanisms' many choice tracks. Yeah, I hear what your saying when you tell me TNTD remind you of heavyweights Thursday, but I have never been a fan of any band choosing to name themselves after the grueling work week - and The New Transit Direction are on SOME records, sharing a home with our faves the Ghost. But what does that have to do with Thursday? Nothing - just like a meaningless comparison to them and TNTD would be. If it's an amazing debut you are looking to invest in, we just gave you 2 minutes worth of reasons to look no further. +
k 07.24.04 |
The
New YearThe End Is Near (touch and go) 2004 " I don't know about God, but I'm sure there's a Devil " The New Year are the best band in the the United States. If you choose to stop reading now, my point has been delivered. Spread the truth. Now that this weighty fact is out of the way, I have but one small problem to address. On the agenda - the title of "sad" & "slow"-core that has long been associated with both Bedhead / The New Year for well into 10 years, I never have bought into it - and maybe you will agree with me (likely, not). With each release the brothers Kadane have released into the world, I like to pull out the entire collection and give them a day or two of festival-style listens. So, in celebration of The End is Near - I did just that. Now, listening to 'Haywire', the second track off of Bedhead's 1994 debut What Fun Life Was brings to mind the least of slowcore (by definition) comparison. That particular song, like a 4-minute fuse, explodes with every angle of loud before sending you aimlessly searching for more. If the boys in The New Year are good by the "core" tags, very well - they are, after all, the best band in the US. To mention The New Year without Bedhead would prove void, as I thought about not spending too much time on the past equation - but they were / are very important to most of the "indie" music the kids listen to today (see death cab for cutie: one of those boys is likely hiding a copy of 1996's Beheaded somewhere). Picking up when Galaxie 500 were just exiting the stage, Bedhead carried their glorious craft through the later part of the 20th century. If you were listening to the right things in 2001, you will rejoice in what a treasure Newness Ends is. The first of the "new" post-Bedhead era, the brothers said themselves that many of that albums songs were written and performed as the earlier bands structure. Reconstruction, one of Newness Ends ten brilliant tracks, said it best in song title and writing: " the guitars smash is bittersweet, which is the nature of reconstruction ". Forward to May 2004 - the second of what we should all plead will be years of Newness. These boys redefine the term timeless, as the stable craftsmen of Matt & Bubba Kadane have been fueling the American musical scene for well into 10+ years - and doing so with what comes off as effortless mastery. Add to that duo the returning, fine tuned lineup of Mike Donofrio (bass), Peter Schmidt (1 of 3 guitars), Josh McKay (Macha / Seaworthy) and former Codeine drummer / soloist Chris Brokaw - and you have the multifaceted beast that has become The New Year. In today's state of tired, rehashed grease rock (New York - I'm looking at you), The New Year are one of the few saviours of the category "indie rock". The End Is Near get's off to a relaxed beginning, with the cleverly titled 'The End's Not Near' ( opening line: "the end's not near - it's here" ), before unveiling some of the most intricate songs to date, including the final track 'Stranger to Kindness' with it's hints of synth - to introduce yet another chapter of greatness. Brushes of Bedhead's "slower" 40bpm past are revealed on the builder 'Disease', but this track soon finds it's breaking point and raises the bar once again on the angular noise that we have come to love. What's not to praise here? Slow & steady may be the word on the street, but the weight of the talent & songwriting make The New Year the most meritable band on the circuit. Don't Mess With Texas, but should you choose to, there is a ranch out yonder with the name Bush that could use a little naplam. +
k
:: (May 14, 04) |
Neva Dinova | Bright EyesOne Jug of Wine, Two Vessels ( Crank! ); 2004 "I miss you when you're gone, so just get out" The votes are still being accumulated, or the voters are still being polled: Conor Oberst - either you love the guy, or, well you fight about it on webboards. Fuck whatcha' heard - Bright Eyes is one of the most promising & original acts of our age. My main level of focus on this split is Jake Bellows, aka Neva Dinova - a name I have seen all the fancy ads for but never taken the time to listen - until now. Jake's woodsy vocals and guitar work remind me of another great "of our time" singer / songwriter Cub Country. Neva Dinova has a delivery that is unrestricted and quite what I would expect Nebraska to actually sound like - whatever this means. All three Neva tracks take top honors - I'm quite in favor of 'get back', with it's hazy summer evening drawl. It's almost more Simon Joyner than the man himself. 'Black Comedy', one of three Bright Eyes-led tracks, pays homage to the masterpiece that is 'Fevers and Mirrors' - sprinkled with themes of death & loss - "Like coffins dropped into the earth / The saddest sound I ever heard". One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels was mastered by Mike Mogis, so you can bet the farm it sounds incredible. Another big plus is the attention to detail on the Crank! limited 10": beautiful packaging with custom fold & inserts (not yr standard sleeve), faux woodgrain backing & the alpine white vinyl - comes off sounding like a luxury automobile interior. The short of it is, Conor and Jake truly compliment each others skills very well - if you're not listening, you must be dead. I still stand by my belief that there's something in that water the kids are drinking in Omaha - bottle it up and sell it. + k 04.20.04 |
 Catharsis/NewbornArsonist's Prayer / ready to leave, ready to live split (Crimethinc); 2001 "So die-die and become-perish, let go and be done". May our creator bless the guy at 'International Books' (Carrboro, NC) who pointed me in the direction of these two bands on a mission. Catharsis: I'm not even going to attempt to compare these guys to anyone I have ever heard, as that would be a great insult to this band that really deserves to be heard. Follow the link below to the band page and download their track; if you are open-minded, into heavy music played the right way, or both, you will not be disappointed. Let me address the fact that I am normally not into what some call "politikal'" music, but when bands such as (the late) Refused & Catharsis have shit to get off their chests, you have to listen. It's taken me quite a while to track down info. on either band, originally thinking this was solely a Catharsis relase, but Newborn have been the toughest band to track down. "(Fuck these) 'I did this yesterday's / (Fuck these) 'Oh, I might do that tommorrow's." The 3 tracks Newborn contribute to this split are unbelievably, amazingly heavy. You have to hear them, as describing any of them, esp. "Dead Poet Society" (track 4), couldn't possibly do them justice. Both of these bands hit the 'neu-metal' genre squarely in the balls, leaving a kid like me only needing to hear much more. 4 tracks, 19+ minutes, beautifully textured & extremely fucking heavy, Catharsis, as well as Newborn are quite possibly two of the best bands you have yet to hear. www.crimethinc.com (label) |
NME NME Awards 2004 Rare and Unreleased ( NME ); 2004 Hold my drink BITCH! Here we go: B.R.M.C. | Hardest Button To Button (LIVE): Sounds so fuckin' much like the Stripes its almost not cool. But it IS cool. 3 guys doing a duo's song - who'woulda'thunkit'possible? Franz Ferdinand | Michael (LIVE): They're from Glasgow - tipped as that NEXT big shit. 2 out of 2 listeners on the occasion that this particular song was heard AGREE: It's Interpol doing the Strokes. In the ARSE. I do like this guys voice. The cover art for their cd wins for minimalism. NEXT! Outkast | Happy Valentine's Day: Every day is the 14th, but roses smell like poo poo. It's Ice Cold - we've all heard this song by now - it's hotter than eel shit. The Libertines | Up The Bracket (LIVE BBC Radio 1): I should buy these guys cd, but there is always something so much more "promising". I also hate to support silly drug habits - via major label disc purchases. By far best live song on the mix. Coldplay | See You Soon: Man, this is from back in the 20th century - before Coldplay were "it". Originally off of the Blue Room EP, this is where I fell in love with these guys via Napster (the one that was FREE). Great song - Chris, an acoustic, background vibes & shakers and dual vocals. As brilliant as Nick Drake covering Jeff Buckley, or vice versa. JET | Are You Gonna Be My Girl (LIVE): SO - ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL? I see a flash in a pan, therfore people must love them. The drums are SO off on this track it's drunken silly. I SAID - ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL? I'm RICK JAMES BITCH!! Radiohead | Paperbag Writer: Twsited Bass-Funk straight off of a 7" b-side - this stumped me for like 2 minutes. You've heard it, Radiohead are like color-changing, hard-shelled, British lizards. The Strokes | When It Started: No - Where it ended is where I began this track. NEXT TRACK BITCH!! I'm RICK JAMES!!! Stroke my cock! The
Thrills | Last Night I Dreamed That Somebody Loved Me*:
Jesus Christ! Why can't all the Thrills stuff sound JUST LIKE THIS?!! This is
so good I cried the 2nd time I played it. THE RAPTURE | Echoes (LIVE): This makes me think I could like these guys as well. Dude sounds REAL David Byrne. I don't know, I just do not know what to think. It gets all ridiculous at the end. Decide who you are and check back later. I think I may like these guys - I JUST DON'T KNOW. The Eight-Ball said it doesn't look good. Starsailor | Hot Burrito #2: Gram Parsons (Etheridge repsectfully) song gone all Brit. It sounds good - mentions Jesus Christ - that's worth a point. Kylie Minogue | Slow (Chemical Brothers REMIX): Nope - these two tracks are a bit OUT OF ORDER. This is the next track. Sounds like The Used or Finch but it's not. I would have LOVED this 3 years ago. Who fucks up something as important as a FREE cd that comes with NME? Liner notes point to one man named Roy Carr. Funeral For A Friend | She Drove Me To Daytime Television (LIVE): This is Kylie, and I can stomach what I hear. Talk about a comeback. It still won't be making on any mix cd's I'll be making this year, or the next, or those either. RICK JAMES MUTHAFUKKA!! The
Von Bondies | Save My Life (BBC Radio 1): I DO LIKE ME SOME VON BONDIES -
this recording is a bit busted sounding - I guess that's whats hip(?). "I've been
living such a hard life" - and we've all seen it.
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NileIn Their Darkened Shrines (RELAPSE); 2002 - and so it begins anew. The awe-inducing resurgence of death metal is upon us. 'Lo, the sound may come in a great swarm of forms, but a precious few shall shine beyond. Nile not only induces awe, but also a fantastic sense of nostalgia. Through this release, I entertain vivid memories of death metal's mid-1990s period when the production weighed more on the low-end portion of the sound spectrum. Bass-heavy production with pounding, hyperactive drum work provides the solid ground on which riff after lead after riff after lead travel upon - sigh - and then came the dawn of "nu-metal", and Satan saw that it was egregiously abysmal; eroding the ethics of extreme music and manipulating the minds of weakened consumers. With the Holy Trinity of lyrical content, 'nookie,' self-hatred, and societal pressures, every 15 year-old not enrolled in an after school program, who undoubtedly despised their parents, mindlessly spent their hardly-earned allowances on - well, shit. Like all great marketing schemes, though, the target population that it was dependent upon has grown and seen the errors of their ways, and Nile is there to welcome all back into the fold. Nile encompass all that was once grand in extreme music and have consequently proven that evolution is possible through dormancy. Nile is the chrysalis, and with the rising notice of fellow advocates such as Opeth (a personal favorite), death metal is now becoming much more diverse, combining elements from the outer reaches of heavy metal: black, doom, and thrash; elements that we re not only long forgotten, but also, in some ways, incorrectly utilized (Dimmu Borgir anyone?). Death metal is not about spiked armbands (Watchmaker), face-paint (take your pick), or unnecessary keyboard passages (again, take your pick), death metal is about molesting some fucking eardrums, which reminds me, it's also not about using unnecessary expletives (Korn comes to mind). Resonant riffs and complex leads, thunderous, seemingly tribal-like drumwork and subtle, but detectable bass-lines all coagulate into a pool of cacophony that truly envelops the listener when heard at high volumes. The lyrical content greatly contributes as well, providing a full-textured listening experience. Dealing primarily with ancient Egyptian civilization and drawing from Lovecraftian lore, Nile adds this educational level that seals the open wounds of those who have been in a state of self-hatred for so, so long. As far as the artwork is concerned, there isn't really much to speak of yet, in purchasing the CD, you're virtually guaranteed a small, encyclopedic volume listing not only the lyrics, but also short passages defining the lyrics themselves. Through the hefty bellows and growls and the unparalleled songwriting skills attributed to Karl Sanders, the epic flourish of the sporadic brass section (that's not a typographical error), the tribal thunder of ex-Angelcorpse member Tony Laureano, the dizzying contrast of sludge and true death - Nile have recorded and released the shot heard 'round the world
Pyramid: www.nile-catacombs.net/
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NoraDeadmen and Dreamers (Trustkill); 2003 "I've got a gun to you're head, I'm asking do you wanna live? Is this is how you wanted it? .... How long is your list? ... Mine's about to get shorter ... " Trustkil struck gold with this release. Probably one of the toughest albums yet to see the light of day, Nora come packing more punches and spinkicks than Jackie Chan fighting Bruce Lee with Chuck Norris and that fat ass known as Steven Segal as tag partners. This album kicks my ass before I even consider stepping into the pit. With heavy hitters such as 'The Goddamn Champion' and 'Quitters' they're letting you know who's running shit. Not only does it come complete with metal, but we've got your ballads as well. Tracks like 'I Should Have Sent Flowers' and 'Last One For The Money' makes me glad to alive and loved. Rivaling Throwdown with King of Tough, Nora dances their way into the lead. Lace up the shoes, and tie the bandanas ... It's time to dance .... |
the notwistDifferent Cars And Trains EP (Domino); 2004 Two years ago, I picked The Notwist's Neon Golden as my favorite album of the year. Although it wasn't anything that hadn't been done before, it was put together so well that it felt like a breakthrough and a breath of fresh air in a room full of artists trying to combine the best of both worlds (organic and electronic). It should come as no surprise that The Notwist haven't released much since that disc. With members of the group all playing in different bands (Tied And Tickled Trio, Ms John Soda, Lali Puna, etc, etc), time gets split and plans get put on hold. Because there hasn't been any new material from the group in so long, it would be pretty easy to complain about this Different Cars And Trains EP, especially since it doesn't technically contain any new songs from the group (everything has been released elsewhere already). Mainly, the goal of this EP is to tide over some listeners by compiling some b-side import single tracks and rolling it out for a domestic price. Mission accomplished? Not really. Even though I'm a huge fan of the group, I have to admit that the material on this EP is in large part lacking. The first two remixes ("Neon Golden" and "Pilot") by Console pull handy-dandy loops from the orignal tracks and turn them into fairly routine 4/4 tracks that work more for the dancefloor than casual listening. Even the solo work by Console (aka Martin Gretschmann) is less predictable. From there, we get the 'new' track of "Red Room," a very nice little track of soft electronics and subtle programming, and the dubby reworking of "Different Cars And Trains" by Loopspool. Aha! I've saved the best for last, though (even though it arrives second-to-last on the actual CD). The defining moment of the CD, and the track that absolutely makes the 30-minute EP is the 8-minute epic of "This Room," a killer reworking by Four Tet and Manitoba that pulls only small parts of the original and turns them into an absolutely stunning synthesis of warm electronic pads, cut-up vocals and chopped-up hip hop beats. Would someone please convince these two friends that they need to make an album together already? I'm convinced it would split heads open everywhere, but until then we'll have to wait until they line up their schedules again. As for this EP, you need the one track mentioned directly above. The rest is passable icing. Rating: 6.25 aaron ::(03/12/04). [ almostcool.org ] |
No. 9Micro Films ( Locust ) 2004 No.
9. No 9. No. 9. How much you wanna bet that it was the Beatles'
"Revolution #9" (White Album) that inspired this Japanese fellow Joe
Takayuki, alias No. 9, at least in part, re: his chosen nom de musique.
[For younger readers: on the aforementioned album, the Beatles -- or
at least, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and maybe George Harrison -- created
a daring, John Cage-like collage of sounds from a myriad of sources.
And John Cage was/is one of THE daddies of the 20th century avant-garde,
who made "by chance" an art-form.] Be that as it may, Mr. 9 is one of
those electronica cats, but where a lot of these electro-types make
sounds that are vague and/or self-involved (or endeavor to lob everything
including the proverbial kitchen sink to your frontal lobes), No. 9
(who, like Cage before him, "finds" music in our day-to-day realities)
weaves mini-tapestries of muted, insinuating beauty. There are elements
of minimalism -- tones or motifs sustained/repeated/evolve -- as well
as undertones of jazz, funk and jungle/drum 'n' bass and environmental
sounds (birds chirping), but the sounds here resist easy categorization.
The results are pastoral and impressionistic but never bland, played/constructed
with such unassuming warmth and un-effete gentility that Micro
Films is the aural equivalent of taking a warm bath or slipping
into a Jacuzzi on a quiet, blissfully solitary evening.
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