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Instead of just dropping a ponderous vocal on to a club-friendly beat, he deftly merges the electro-pop basics of warm, resonant keyboard riffs and fey vocals with up-to-the-minute production work that's manic and crisp. The package is completed by a nice line in retro-futuristic lyrics, most notably on the single "Remote Control" itself, which ironically feigns both wonder at, and fear of, modern technology.
Cursor Miner's music is a forward-looking form of nostalgia. The fact that he doesn't take the easy route of pure 1980s revivalism means probably won't get the following it deserves, but on the other hand, he won't end up eviscerated and embarrassed on the altar of mass whim like, say, Fischerspooner. Quite simply, this is an excellent album for fans of interesting electro-pop and one which brings something new to the game.
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- Oren Ambarchi - Der Kleine Koenig
- Oren Ambarchi - Links
The simultaneously-released Keith Fullerton Whitman 7" features two edited parts of a concert from March, 2001. "Part One" sounds surprisingly reminiscent of a soundtrack (like the Sonic Youth score to 'Made In USA'). Guitar and loads of processing provide a moody setting which, to me, could go on much longer without ever getting boring. "Part Two" takes off with electronically-altered layers of sound until the guitar resurfaces in the middle part, only to be buried again in an effects-assault conclusion. This one's indeed a pleasure to listen to. Whitman shows a clear concept in composition which puts this release up with the best that 2002 has had to offer yet. Get it while you can.
Both singles are (as all Tonschacht releases) limited to about 500 copies and come with an info sheet.
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samples:
- Oren Ambarchi - Der Kleine Koenig
- Oren Ambarchi - Links
The simultaneously-released Keith Fullerton Whitman 7" features two edited parts of a concert from March, 2001. "Part One" sounds surprisingly reminiscent of a soundtrack (like the Sonic Youth score to 'Made In USA'). Guitar and loads of processing provide a moody setting which, to me, could go on much longer without ever getting boring. "Part Two" takes off with electronically-altered layers of sound until the guitar resurfaces in the middle part, only to be buried again in an effects-assault conclusion. This one's indeed a pleasure to listen to. Whitman shows a clear concept in composition which puts this release up with the best that 2002 has had to offer yet. Get it while you can.
Both singles are (as all Tonschacht releases) limited to about 500 copies and come with an info sheet.
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It's only natural that a gallery filled with the visual art of David Tibet and Steven Stapleton be filled with their audio art as well. This limited edition (1000) set served as the soundtrack for their April 8 - May 4, 2002 exhibition at London's Horse Hospital gallery. Initially it was only available there and through Durtro's online store but it has since filtered down to the usual outlets (though the price point of roughly $45 will undoubtedly dissuade casual fans).
The packaging is a four panel fold-up with dark, white crested ocean waves on the outside and illegible chalk on blackboard writings inside. A six panel insert hides the discs and a Tibet painting underneath. Keeping in mind the background intent of this music helps to appreciate it, but of the two, Current 93 is the most rewarding for attentive listening. Here c93 includes past collaborators Joolie Wood and Maja Elliot as well as Julia Kent of Antony and the Johnsons. Between a spoken "alpha" and "omega", Tibet lays the foundation with a short ebb and flow loop of (presumably harmonium) drone while the three women crest his wave with piano and strings. Despite its nearly 41 minutes, it remains hypnotically tranquil and enthralling. Nurse With Wound, here just Stapleton and Colin Potter (as on the recent 'The Man With the Woman Face'), craft a longer but more minimal piece. It takes several minutes for their dulled roar to fully surface and massage like c93's piece. Change is perceptible - a slowing down, a temporal lengthening of the waves - but it's so gradual and so minute, it might go undetected while perusing the paintings (or anything else).
 
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- Current 93 - Archealephtelos
- Nurse with Wound - SALT
 
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Billing itself as "an Icelandic Ambient Compilation," Uni:form, in conjunction with Thule, definitely adopts a broad definition of "ambient." The vast majority of tracks on '42 More Things' are more structured than such aforementioned nomenclature might imply, but the general presence of electronic chill-out background soundscapes (somewhere in between Warp's 'Artificial Intelligence' compilations and the atmospheric side of the Morr Music roster) is right on the mark.
Ilo, Thor, Ruxpin, and Biogen will likely be familiar to the more seasoned aficionados of Icelandic music as a result of their remix work for both Múm and Sigur Rós. Ilo's track "Tif" is among the more striking of the contributions: a trip hop-infused tapestry of distorted voices, guitar, piano and seductive beats. The fluffy but listenable "Flying," the angelic and moody "First Contact," and the drum 'n' bass-inspired "Above Sea Level" are Ruxpin's three pieces. These tracks, while exhibiting an impressive range overall, individually don't seem really go anywhere. They do succeed, however, in melding well with the relaxed vibe of the compilation as a whole. Biogen's "Hi-Fi FM" is quirky and up-tempo, while "Afloat" sounds like a digital sea spray overlaid with glistening mellow synths. "I Don't Have a Clue" by Thor is perhaps the closest to being truly ambient with its beatless lilt, along with the Trabant's track "Superman," remixed here by Worm is Green. Other noteworthy contributions come from the lesser-known Krilli (represented here by two excellent songs, one of which beautifully recalls some of the instrumental work on David Bowie's 'Low'), Rhythm of Snow's Autechre-esque "Getting Closer to an Unknown Goal," and Múm's twitchy Kanada remix.
Overall, '42 More Things' doesn't have much that will completely bowl its listeners over with either profundity or innovation, but as a whole, it provides for extremely pleasant and meditative listening.
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- Ilo - Tif
- Krilli - 52cd 4kg
- Biogen - Hifi FM
- Ruxpin - Above Sea Level
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Fast forward to 2002. Collections of Colonies of Bees is mostly the duo's doing and 'fa.ce (a' is their third album since '99. It is a continuous suite of eight (all but the last untitled) tracks that glide through played, processed and played to be processed sounds - often with elements from each track carrying over into the next.
Besides acoustic and electric guitars, lap steel, piano and steel drums, Rosenau is also credited throughout with "assembly," "manipulation," "miscellaneous noises," and/or the Akai Headrush. Mueller provides drums or percussion on five tracks and another Milwaukee musician, Don Mahlmeister, also adds guitars, Rhodes and Wurlitzer piano, keyboard and programming. That should give you an inkling of the palette and production. In a way, the first track sets a false tone with an upbeat, yet mild-mannered, almost folksy jam involving acoustic guitars, EBow, Rhodes, lap steel, bass and drums. The aftermath is track two, as the final notes slowly fade away and scraped metal and ambient drift supersede. Track three is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've heard in years, if not ever. At the heart of it all is the guitars, their intermittent suggestions of melody and harmonics intertwined with near silence and tiny electronic currents. It's as delicate and pretty as a music box or Faberge egg. A barely audible background of steel drums and bird song begins track four as computer voiced "dooooo"s of varying length and gender pile up with portamento-wavered piano notes. For song five, melted down lap steel licks pick up where four left off and are coupled with somewhat bombastic drum fills. The 11-minute finale belies its curious title of "mu:rder" as the band invents a gorgeous, deep lull, which, up until the final few minutes, are cluttered with digital debris. Start to finish, 'fa.ce (a' is a very finely-calibrated work. It has an impeccable focus and flow, a well balanced mix between acoustic and electronic instrumentation, and a learned sense of time and space. Plain and simple, 'fa.ce (a' is poetry in motion. Look for it in my top ten of 2002 list.
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