Chicago's Ribbon Effect released their debut album, "Slip", last year,and now this EP of the band's first recordings is one of two debutreleases from False Walls Recordings. The group is a three-piece whosemusic is based largely on group improvisation and a mix of theelectronic and the organic. Keyboards and synthesizers mix with thedrums and accordion to make a truly interesting sound. It sounds oddlylike the soundtrack to robots in factories, welding cars together. Infact, if those robots liked music, I bet they'd like Ribbon Effect. Thesongs have a very simple structure, and move right along with a fewfills and breaks. Over time, it's easy for the listener to loseinterest, though not entirely. It's just that the use of theinstruments is so consistent, so unmoving, that tracks seem to go onfar longer than they should. That and the fact that the music isinstrumental in nature adds up to a good first listen, but noveltydoesn't make you return to the well for more. The first two trackssuffer from this affliction, but the third and fourth tracks, "CastAway" and "Sweet William's Catchfly", are just plain good. Beeps thatecho, harmonics and programmed beats mix and meld, moving towards aclimax at the end of the former that eventually you are begging for.Finally, real drums come in, and the track melds into the latter,building with accordion to the big finish. It was enough to make mewant to hear more from Ribbon Effect and this label, so as an initialrelease it serves its purpose. I, however, hope that Ribbon Effect havelearned some lessons from this first release and have more substance ontheir full-length.
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