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Ze
As part of Ze Records' ongoing excavation of their extensive backcatalog, they have recently reissued two albums by Cristina, theinternationally ignored disco superstar should-have-been but never-was.Cristina Monet was born into opulence and wealth, attending Harvard andLondon's School of Drama, floating freely between flats in London,Paris and New York City. In 1978, while working at a theater critic forthe Village Voice,she met her future husband and founder of Ze Records Michael Zelkha.Zelkha was itching to get into the NYC underground punk/disco scenes,so they recorded a single called "Disco Clone," an incisive, ifirritating satire of disco culture for which they enlisted theproduction talents of John Cale and hilariously corny vocal narrationby actor Kevin Kline. Thankfully, the music improved by leaps andbounds by the time Cristina was recording her debut full-length Doll in the Box,but "Disco Clone" pretty much established Cristina's modus operandi:sleek, downtown Studio 54 jams with Cristina's haughty, detached,Brechtian vocal style; demonstrating her cool disillusionment withnightclubs full of "bored-looking bankers dancing with beautifulmodels." That early single is included as a bonus track on thisreissue, along with some other early singles and the entire AugustDarnell-produced debut. Darnell was soon to unveil his Latino-flavoredmutant disco ensemble Kid Creole and the Coconuts, and much of thatinfluence is evident on Doll in a Box, with heavy-handedAfrican and Latin rhythms, Caribbean overtones and a jaunty brasssection. Check out the African tribal chanting that forms the basis of"Jungle Love" for a laugh. Listening to this material more than 20years later, it can't help but sound somewhat dated, suffering fromaging problems that Cristina's contemporaries (and labelmates) such asWas (Not Was) and the Aural Exciters were able to sidestep. Most ofCristina's appeal lay in her sarcastic, world-weary vocals, soundingyears beyond her actual age. However, for much of Doll in the Box,those amazing vocals are overwhelmed with an overactive, technicolorproduction that wears a thin after a few listens. The singles are muchbetter, with the aforementioned "Disco Clone" presented alongsidehilariously witty covers of Peggy Lee's Lieber and Stoller-penned "IsThat All There Is?" and The Beatles "Drive My Car." On the latter,Cristina alters the lyrics of the Lee classic into a darkly humorousmonologue set against incongruously bubbly music: "And then I fell inlove with the most wonderful boy in Manhattan...we'd take longs walksdown by the river and he'd beat me black and blue and I loved it." Doll in a Boxis very far from a lost classic, but the inclusion of Cristina'sclassic early 12" singles more than makes up for its shortcomings.
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Ze
For her 1984 follow-up, Cristina enlisted the production genius of DonWas, who brings to Cristina's vocals a musical backdrop every bit asbizarre and infectious as his own Ze Records project Was (Not Was).Forgoing the extended disco excursions of her debut, Cristina and Wasinstead created ten radio-ready pop songs, trying to outdo Madonna ather own game, perhaps. Along with originals penned by the singerherself in conjunction with Was, Doug Fieger (of The Kinks) and RobertPalmer (!), Cristina also performs distinctive covers of songs by VanMorrison, Prince and obscure country singer John Conlee. The albumfeatures excellent guest contributions from contorted punk saxophonistJames Chance and jazz legend Marcus Belgrave. With all this star power,I partially expected Sleep It Offto sound like smooth, competent 1980s new wave pop. Well, it doesn'tsound like that at all, but what it does sound like is harder to naildown. Producer Was adds stacks of keyboards and synthesizers, wackyloops and sound effects, creating a densely populated architecture ofsound that at times threatens to steal the show from Cristina's vocals.Perhaps in order to cement the Brecht comparison, Cristina andcollaborator Ben Brierly perform a gothic-y cover of Bertolt Brecht andKurt Weil's classic ode to purchased love "Ballad of Immoral Earnings."With some of the tracks recalling the sophisticated disco of her earlysingles, and some taking utterly bizarre tangents into electro-Country("She Can't Say That Anymore") and cheesy 1980s pop balladry ("The Lieof Love"), the overall effect of Sleep It Off is pureeclecticism. As such, it never becomes boring, although it does lack acertain focus, which probably explains the public's indifference to thealbum at the time of its release. The lack of any obvious single normalenough for radio airplay probably also contributed. "Don't Mutilate MyMink" gleefully rips off the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK," for oneof the album's funniest, most confrontational tracks. Bonus tracksinclude horrible session outtakes, a bizarre Christmas song, and areally nifty cover of Prince's classic "When You Were Mine." Sleep It Offis an interesting mess, one I don't think I'll be returning to any timesoon, but that I am nonetheless glad has received the deluxe reissuetreatment from Ze.
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Hymen
While the debut solo CD by Volker Kahl of German duo Beefcake runs thegamut of electronic styles, the album is a unified, enjoyable listen.Through 60 minutes, styles move from breakcore to sweeping ambientsoundscapes to melodic electronica, but by naming the tracks "Place1"through "Place11" he adheres to the concept of travel. Thejuxtaposition of moods from track to track makes Placesfeel like an actual journey. "Place1" recalls a city environment, withits quick tempo invoking the fast-paced nature of urban life. "Place2"features cut-up voices and rapid-fire beats, and contrasts sharply withthe orchestral "Place3," during which an eerie narrator asks to "listenfor my voice. I will tell you what to do". With this track Kattoocreates a sweeping, epic sound that resembles a landscape seen whilesoaring high above. The combination of excellent source material andskillful production make "Place4" a stand-out track. Here he pits heavymetal guitar riffs against intricately programmed live drumming, withswirling ambience lingering in the background. "Place5" is a melloweraffair, and recalls Kahl's work with Beefcake in that it featuressoulful, albeit manipulated, vocals. The sedate, melodic quality ofthis track balances the heavy beat-oriented "Place6" which follows it.The only part of the set that loses me is the closing seven minute"Place11," which consists solely of a man speaking in German. If he hadmade this kind of piece as a link track it would have been lessdisruptive to the flow of the album. Since I don't understand German,the importance of the text is lost on me, although at one point he sayssomething about President Roosevelt. The addition of a remix of"Place7" by Flaque after this monologue is a welcome return to music,with tinkly beats and synthesizer washes interspersed with recordingsof a roomful of people talking. Although the landscape photographs onthe sleeve are appropriate for the theme, it is surprising that theusually inventive graphic designer Salt has used a layout that soclosely resembles that of the Azure Skies CD from 2001, which alsodepicts landscapes on its cover.
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Kimchee
Aubrey Anderson takes things back to basics on his latest album for anew label, after some critical upset following his sophomore LP. Sadly,even though the methods are the same as his debut, the disappointmentcontinues on par with its follow-up, as the songs and vocalperformances rarely escape radio-friendly safe pop territory. Andersonis no doubt a talented musician, arranger, and producer, exhibiting agreat deal of self-motivation and a strong work ethic. He's even shownsparks of breaking out with a massive and timeless record, either inDifference Engine or on his own. The sparks have never caught into theraging inferno and they merely pop and fizzle on these songs. Maybeit's the Jack Johnson-like photos that make up the digipak packaging,but there's a general feeling of "check out this new artist who has alot of emotional things to say" that seeps out of every pore. It's likethe anxiety to try out some bold flavors in a cereal, only to open thebox and find that nearly half is air. The opening track starts thistrend: following two verses and roughly three minutes of music, "TheLong Hot July" continues for another minute and a half of the samerefrain and gentle almost-moan. It's unneeded, as though Andersonthought the track wasn't long enough, so just dragged it out to filltime. His vocal delivery is very much that of the sensitivesinger-songwriter mold, and the melodies are all bittersweet happiness,as though it didn't work out as planned but a certain rolling with thepunches will be a growth experience. Not that it's all a waste, ascertain songs — "San Francisco" or "Panic and Doubt" — have moments ofgrand adventure, like chilling harmonies and squelched guitars or oddinstrumentation. For the most part, though, the lyrics are pedestrianand to be avoided (talks of Tarantino matinees and being around afriend's house at sixteen are not terribly interesting); and the songsveer into the bland and formulaic, like the title track, or even worse"Summer Time." This is touted as the "true voice" of Aubrey Anderson,but I doubt that's true. With the hints he's provided in the past, I'dthink his true voice would be far more sensational. If the best momentsof this CD were expounded upon, perhaps that's what will come out.
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Weightless Recordings
For a recording artist, the release of their first solo album—afternumerous guest appearances or group releases—ranks high on the list ofrights of passage, up there with other crucial, life changing or lifeaffirming events: a bar mitzvah, loss of virginity, or your firstkidney stone. Unfortunately for veteran hip hopper Blueprint (Columbus,OH native Albert Shepard), Chamber Musicis more like the latter than any other milestones. It's labored andpainful, there's no idea what caused it, and it's relieving when over.It's especially frustrating and disappointing when considering thatShepard, a former computer programmer and systems analyst, has receivednearly universal acclaim on the underground circuit as an MC, mostnotably for his Soul Position project. With RJD2's unique productionstyle mated to Blueprint's rhyming style—cerebral and challenging oneminute, flowing raunchy and handing out disses the next—Soul Positiongarnered nothing but well-deserved respect for the duo. On Chamber MusicBlueprint takes a complete 180, choosing to abandon the mic for theproducer's studio. While it's not completely unfamiliar territory—hehas produced tracks for Illogic and others before—it's not his strongsuit, a fact that becomes painfully obvious deep into Chamber Music'spoorly conceived sixty minutes. The obligatory guest MC appearancesinclude Aesop Rock, Illogic, and Cannibal Ox's Vast Aire all takingturns, and Blueprint himself isn't totally silent, providing a fewverses on "Mr Hyde." Eight instrumental tracks remain, proving to besimply too much time for Blueprint to fill with anything of interest oreven quality. Most of the record's sound can best be described as thebackground music to a hip-hop themed Spooky World. Blueprint createsdark, barren four part sonic landscapes that meander without reallygetting anywhere, making the listener almost yearn for a party anthemor a holier than thou indictment of the record industry (almost).Usually such sins aren't enough to sink a track, but Blueprint commitssuicide with his sample selection. He of all people must be aware thehigh standard to which loop diggers are held, so it's inexcusable thenfor him to sample what sounds like B-list session musicians or to makean entire track out of a played Richard Pryor routine. The Pryor track,"Hot Sex," is actually one of the album's better tracks, but it'shardly impressive to hear little more than background music for a30-year old joke. That being said, Chamber Music is not withoutits merits. However, they come frustratingly late, as it's not untilthe eleventh track, "Sacrifice," where a mournful piano skittersthrough a blissfully dismal montage of drums, occasionally comforted bya softly wailing flute. It is pretty, poignant, and with a strong bassline, kick, and snare it's actually stompin'. It's too little too late,as on the whole Chamber Music feels like a very dedicated,motivated and intelligent man sat down and did his best with a limitedcollection of run-of-the-mill samples and the latest copy of Pro-Tools.It may work sometimes, but Chamber Music is cold, uninspiringand at times, simply boring. To sit patiently through the entire recordis a challenge; hip hop anathema. It has none of the soft and welcomingorganic familiarity of a Shadow tune, the controlled anarchy of aPrefuse track or the dusty crate-dug accidental genius of a Madlibbeat. Worst of all, Blueprint does show flashes of talent, but they arescattered throughout the album, and diluted by mediocrity so much sothat almost too hard to find to be worthwhile. He may yet produce agem, but with his solo debut Blueprint has put his name on an unhappilyaverage album.
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Chomsky himself should require no introduction. He's the father of modern linguistics, a widely-quoted and thoroughly published critic, historian, scholar, and all that, so what is a label with records from King Missle, Merzbow, and Kimya Dawson doing releasing a Chomsky disc? It's just doing what we all should do: putting its money where its heart is and trying to let Chomsky drop the science on a whole new audience. The record in question is actually a two disc set from Important Records that captures a two-hour interview with Chomsky in his MIT office from earlier this year. Unsurprisingly, the topic of conversation steers towards the US invasion of Iraq and the historical perspective that the US Military action sorely lacks in common discourse. Like most of Chomsky's work that I've read or other interviews I've heard, he presents the listener with a kind of fact-checking decathalon challenge in the way he casually spits out detailed accounts of this or that international situation, military coup, or assassination scheme. It can be intimidating to take in, and following up on his strings of references and commentaries about historical events that have either been largely overlooked or spun into something else by the mainstream media is a task that few of us seem up to. It helps to know that Chomsky is a genius of a man who has devoted his life to studying and analyzing these events and the way they are presented in the media, and that he knows more about language than most of us know about anything. So, to the extent that he has read and understands these situations, I feel safe trusting at least the general gist of what he's on about. In the two-part interview, he talks about quotes from Errol Morris' fascinating documentary about Robert McNamara, The Fog of War and about the notion that US military leaders would be brought up on war crimes trials if they had lost the war. Chomsky calls this "a truism" and with his casual, deadpan way of speaking he suddenly makes what seemed like one of the most relevatory ideas in Fog of War seem like an obvious fact we should all have been aware of and working from for decades: that the victors of war get to write the rules about what is or isn't appropriate leads to an unsettling analysis of the war in Iraq as it exists as part of a larger quest of Imperialism by the most powerful nation on the globe. Anyone with even a passing interest in politics, US foreign policy, media analysis, or the war in Iraq will certainly find a lot to think about from Chomsky's discussion. For a two-hour interview, it flies by and I found myself wanting even more detail and an even deeper look into the subjects when it was over. Prong once put the album covers of old Sony big band records in their liner notes with the cheeky slogan "If you like Prong, you may enjoy these other Sony records," but in fact as different as this release is from the rest of the material on Important, it should feel no less at home in the collections of Jack Dangers, Acid Mothers Temple, and Muslimgauze records. After all, the issues Chomsky discusses are universal and the logic he uses to make his arguments applies to anyone thinking about these things rationally. The record is both inspiring and devastating as it peels back the layers of media deception and government propaganda to reveal an even more complicated and devious US foreign policy agenda. This is a perfect introduction to Chomsky for those who are uninitiated, and a great and insightful analysis for anyone.
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Jack Dangers has increased his musical output in recent years, spitting out a string of records under his own name, Meat Beat Manifesto, and Tino Corp, pushing his style into heretofore unheard directions. With Loundness Clarifies, Dangers essentially bridges the gap between the comfortable, groove-oriented material that everyone associates with Meat Beat Manifesto, and his more experimental, offbeat tendencies when working without the expectations of the "Meat Beat brand." Of course, Meat Beat records have always had a touch of the obscure and absurd in them, but after listening to the last few albums and comparing them to the early work, some of the daring experimentation seemed to be missing in favor of tighter grooves. Here, Dangers seems to be going for the logical connection between the grooves and beats for which he is so well known, and the studio antics and manipulation of sound that is close to his heart. Loudness Clarifies plays more with distortion and strange frequencies than anything heard from Jack in a long time. The beats are crunchy electro wiggles, breaks-overdriven and run along with a warbly bass that at times consumes them. Dangers' typical analog synth fascination is in full effect, but the tones are all slightly detuned, bent, filtered, or otherwise molested into something a bit darker and less accessible than might be expected. This is not to say that the record is a full-on excursion into DSP-noodle-land. In fact, far from it, the album sounds more akin to the kind of records Dangers was making over a decade ago as it's full of the warm hum of tubes and transistors and tapeloops whizzing by. Not Breathing's Dave Wright plays the flange on the opening track (the first time I've ever seen flange credited as a performance) and bass on another, while The Bass Kittens' Jon Drukman has a go with some crispy fried electro rhythms on "Super Hit 9" that give the album some of its best and weirdest moments. As if a new and style-stretching release from Dangers wasn't enough, the package also includes some of Dangers' electro-acoustic and found-sound collage work entitled Electronic Music From Tapelab. Fans of Dangers' work won't be surprised by the weird, disembodied voices and radio static and analog squiggles that poke out from the speakers in this collection of ten studio tracks recorded for film, radio, and television, but they may not be overwhelmed by the disc either. As music concr?e records go, it is an impeccible studio effort and showcases Dangers' uncanny use of space and ability to isolate the best parts of sounds. However, as music written for film, radio, and TV, it tends to lack a narrative center that might be provided by visuals or some other accompanying context. Take the audio accompaniment and sound design out of its narrative environment, and it tends to be hit or miss based on the quality of the sounds alone. This is, of course, the point of such a record, but like looking through the portfolio of your favorite designer, there are going to be pieces that grab you, moments that speak to you, and others that are easily skipped. Electronic Music From Tapelab is a fun sound design experience, but I'm not liable to spin it as frequently as its more structured, song-based younger brother. Important packages both discs in a nice cardboard double pack, and taken as a whole, it's impossible not to like. samples:
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Nels Cline has played on more records than most people own, so when he has a new record out under his own name, I'm immediately interested in what he'll be doing. Cline is chameleon-like with his playing, shifting into roles and styles with a fluid ease that is a testament not only to his skill with the guitar, but to his work ethic. His latest project under the name "The Nels Cline Singers" is a collection of songs that shows off his jazz riffing as well as his melancholic rock stylings in equal doses. The album begins with a pair of tracks that would seem to fit well into the CryptoGramophone catalog of noodling improvisation and experimental if not totally off-the-wall jazz. But I'm more a fan of Cline's work with a distortion pedal, and beginning with "He Still Carries A Torch for Her", there's plenty of that too. Cline's guitar must be one of the saddest sounding instruments in the world, as if the the very neck and body and strings of it were crafted from heartache distilled into resin and wood and steel. The beautifully slow and aching "Something About David H." recalls Cline's best moments from the wonderful and underappreciated Scarnella record, and it brings along some of the droning spaciousness of his more avant ambient recordings. "A Boy Needs a Door" is a workout of loops and effects and distant, unrecognizable tones that creep around the stereo field, playing tag with Cline's clean melodic plucking. By the ninth track, Cline and his "singers" (there aren't really any vocalists) have aired it out and are going for the all out fuzz rock assault that must seem like a jarring change of pace for regular CryptoGramophone listeners, but kind of makes sense here as just another dimension to an artist who isn't limited by expectations and pre-determined style cues. Cline is now a much-publicized member of Wilco, something that will add to his indie cred, (not that he needs it) but records like this one show off another dimension to his work; something beyond the typical 'plays well with others'. Here's to hoping Wilco and session work don't dominate his creative time. The world needs more Nels Cline records. samples:
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Secretly Canadian
This brief, three-song EP is being released as a spacer to tide fansover until the new Antony and the Johnsons full-length album I Am A Bird Nowis released February of next year. New material from NYC's premieretorch-song singing androgyne is long overdue, the artist not havingreleased any new material since 2002's I Fell In Love With A Dead BoyEP, and no full-length since his superlative 1999 debut on Durtro. Inthese intervening years, Antony's cult of adoration has grownconsiderably, with established NYC artists Lou Reed and his wife LaurieAnderson promoting the artist, playing a number of shows together.Antony has made guest vocal appearances on two of Lou Reed's recentalbums, and he contributes vocals to campy queer troubadour RufusWainwright's most recent album Want Two. It seems that success has agreed with Antony, as the songs and lyrics on The Lakeevidence a decidedly more positive outlook than the depressing songsuite of his first album. According to Antony, "The Horror Has Gone,""That terror was not fright/but a tremulous delight," and "I feel thatheat/And I know it's love." There are no more rivers of sorrow orHitlers in his heart, I suppose. Even despite my usual preference formelancholy, The Lake EP is a terrific little taster, all threesongs showcasing the singer/songwriter/arranger at the very height ofhis craft. The title track will be recognizable to those who have heardthe Current 93/Antony split Live at St. Olave's Church EP, a moving adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious lyric poem. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence that Lou Reed's The Raven,a dire concept album about the decadent author, coincided with Antony'sfascination with Poe, but either way it's a beautiful song, though Iprefer slightly the simpler arrangement and vocal style of the earlierlive recording. "Fistful of Love" is the EP's centerpiece: an upbeat,jazzy number about the fear of admitting you're in love in someone. LouReed does a guest vocal spot on the EP, contributing some terse spokenlyrics and electric guitar. It's one of Antony's busiest arrangements,with a full brass section and a distinct rock vibe, but he pulls it offbrilliantly. The final track is the brief, delicate "The Horror HasGone," in which Antony celebrates the passing of a deep depression,playing the piano, accompanied by Julia Kent's beautiful cello. I'vebeen enjoying this EP thoroughly, and it affirms what many peoplealready know: Antony's voice is one of the most amazingly expressiveinstruments around. Those who don't get it, never will; those who loveit, will always come back for more.
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Pieros
Aranos is a master of the stringed instrument, a frequent collaboratorwith fellow Irish countryside dweller Steven Stapleton, and the creatorof a string of idiosyncratic experimental albums that, like most greatworks of art, defy categorization. This solo full-length is thefollow-up to 2001's Magnificent! Magnificent! No One Knows the Final Word,an album unique not only for its unconventional musical content andhomegrown organic packaging, but also for its "experimental anarchydistribution," a sort of honor system where Aranos shipped the album athis expense to anyone who wanted it, asking each listener to decide howmuch the album was worth. Tangomango continues down the same path as Magnificent,but somehow manages to be even more willfully eccentric. Lovelypassages of emotively played strings are overdubbed with shambolicpercussion, occasional forays into electronics of uncertain origin andAranos' gravelly vocals, free-associating long strings of unhingedDadaesque lyrical couplets. Aranos creates a one-man chamber quartet,overdubbing layers of plucked and bowed violin, viola and double bass,his melodies fondly recalling the Eastern European gypsy music idiomsof his heritage. Sometimes the effect is a sort of avant-garde chamberpop, as on "Julio Cruz," which sounds not entirely unlike mid-1970sJohn Cale. Other times, Aranos' techniques are so unorthodox that themusic sounds like nothing else, as with the strange organickaleidescope created on "All The Lost Turbans Will Be On That Speaker,"which utilizes musique concr?e effects to create an unsettling piece ofpsychedelic tape music. On "Worryism," the album's only guest player,Jon Whitney (editor of this rag), contributes a series of distendedbleats on a didgeridoo, forming the foundation for a distinctlyritualistic excursion that ends Tangomango on a somber note.Halfway through the oddly named "69 Walton's Yamamoto Noodles," Aranosstrikes the gong and unleashes a series of mindbending electronicpulses. "Broken Eights" is a fractured military ode constructed frommartial drums and layers of vacillated vocal overdubs. The album'stitle could not be more appropriate, as Aranos is able to reference theimprovisatory feel of Can's masterpiece, while impregnating it with hisown organic sense of rhythm. It's a little bit fun, and a little bitfruity. The album comes packaged in a lovely handmade royal purple silkpurse with a beaded clasp and a lyric booklet adorned with manybeautiful photographs. Tangomango is a rare album that trulyfeels like a pure, unmediated foray into one man's peculiar and joyfulvision of music, and it's a rewarding trip at that.
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A record like this always sounds as though it belongs to a room full of neon lights, smoke, and half-faded memories. There's always something lingering just beneath the surface and it's never quite pretty, but it's always engaging: just like a dirty secret. These are the first images that come to mind when I hear the slinky guitars, winding percussion, and the organic production. Having an organic sound is the best way to describe each track on Jealousy and Diamond: guitars fade into and out of each other, strange and warm hums permeate each instance of every sound, and the percussion more or less blurs the line between melodic and completely percussive instruments.Kranky
The names Martin Brandlmayer, Werner Dafeldecker, and Dean Roberts have been popping up quite a lot, lately. They are names I have come to associate with excellent music and while they haveve been playing together in various forms for some time now, this is the first record where they've come together as true trio. Their time together has obviously benefitted them as a band. The vocals are, for the most part, submerged in the radiation of the music; they are present but almost entirely indistinct. The sound of Roberts' voice only adds to the ghostly signature written all over the album. A track like "In Your Absence from the Street" illustrates the way sounds become more like wisps of smoke with Autistic Daughters than anything else. The drums quietly pop and rustle beneath the rumble of the bass and the ceaseless rolling of strings buzzing and guitars lighting themselves on fire and burning in slow motion. The album is deceptively diverse and doesn't rely on any one formula to carry itself from beginning to end. "The Glasshouse and the Gift-Horse" sounds as though it's going to slide by without a hint of resistance before a wind picks up and sends the whole song tumbling through the air, moaning and turning at the will of shaking guitars and stuttering drums. All the music sounds drunk. It's as though it's rumbling backwards through time in an attempt to find out how the hell everything went so long. It's depressing and forlorn, but not desperate. The contemplative edge it exhibits is almost disturbing in and of itself - the essence of each song is voyeuristic and careful. Perhaps Roberts has some demons he wants to exercise without letting everyone see them. Whatever the case, the trance-like glow surrounding this album (it being a result of the excellent music within) is addicting. The slow pace and easy resignation that sits at its heart sound beautiful, if not just slightly uneasy and sad.
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