The electronic and live instrumentation mixing duo of Adrian Corker andPaul Conboy have recently been writing the next Bomb the Bass albumwith Tim Simenon. Ahead of that, Corker/Conboy's Radiant Idiotis a dark obsession with minor chords that transforms their music intoa beautiful new creature with a life all its own. Their sophomore setis a true renovation of their formerly derivative sound with intriguingadditions and finer melodies. The electronics are more an atmospherictouch than an active participant, and with new instruments joining thegroup's repertoire, the possibilities are endless. Shutters anddelicate guitar open the record, and soon hefty live drums and a lowmuddy bass join in, and the guitar and the song go all filthy energy. Afull-on freak-out ensues, reminding me vaguely of the new direction ofPele, and suddenly I'm eager for more. There's a drive, an urgencypresent, on these songs that may have been there before, but never thisovert, and it's a breath of fresh air. The music is still so structuredand controlled in its fluidity, like every move is planned, but I coulddefinitely tell that these two were taking chances this time around.The slow groove of "Portland Grove Am" is simply lovely and comforting,with a simple repeated melody and layered stringed instruments overtop.Interesting guest contributions rear their heads here and there, likeIan Dixon's pulse-quickening trumpet work on "Get 1 Over." Changingrhythms also bring a freshness: a shuffle here and a dirge there with alittle bit of a groove in between creates a great make-out record, withshifts in tempo bringing peaks and valleys in the action. Strangely,the only track that didn't do anything for me is the title track, alsothe longest at just over eight minutes. It moves like a symphony,gracefully sliding in and out of different phases, but it reallydoesn't get where it feels like it's going. Still, the generalexperience of the album is a pleasing one, and a real evolution fromtheir previous efforts.Read More
