REPTILICA – CHROME FEATHER FUTURE (CD by Lens Records)
SLOWMOTION – BUFO ALVARIUS (CD by Pantheistic)
REPTILICA – CHROME FEATHER FUTURE (CD by Lens Records)
This is one of those things you hear and you are surprised. Not necessarily
because it’s so damm ok, but because it’s it’s it’s so strange… so much
all over the place in so many areas. Within tracks Reptilica, aka Ed
Creeagan, who has been doing this stuff since 1997, skips from lo-fish
guitar music to hip hop rhythms or starts out by playing the guitar as if
No New York is still the hottest thing. Then a sampled lounge theme, with
opera voice sitting next to guitar, bass and rhythmbox. Sometimes I
thought: this can’t be true, too much kitsch, too far out, too normal but
it has strange attracting appealling quality. Even when much of this was
still too much normal rock for me, I enjoyed most of it, and for once (?),
it’s hard to tell why I like it, where exactely it is that I like it. It’s
the variety probably, like listening to 20 years of experimental music
(‘Flight 0.8′ starts out with the good ol’ casio VL tone) summed up in 12
short pieces, with dashes of electronica, guitar and ethnic music.
Certainly more ideas then much else I heard lately, but some could be
skipped and some could be more worked through. Strangely appealling. (FdW)
Address: <lens@lensrecords.com>
SLOWMOTION – BUFO ALVARIUS (CD by Pantheistic)
More strangeness, but one that is more coherent all the way through. Of
course I didn’t check the webpage (http:/www.slowmotion.it) for more info,
I rather go by my ears and what is on the cover. Which is, besides the
aforementioned webpage, and track titles not much. The band (?) uses
electronica and a little bit of the rock instruments to create a decent
slab of electronic, partly ambient, partly techno-inspired music. They stay
within the self-chosen areas of ambient-techno. Not bad, but all a bit tame
for me. It could have used a bit more power, a bit more aggression, less
sweet doodling. Now it’s mere nice background music, to pass your time at
work with, to cook by. My favourite track is ‘Six Minute Of What’ with the
sound of ping pong (which I haven’t heard since Depeche Mode layed their
‘Pipeline’ and Dick Raaymakers played a game on his 3CD set) and minimalist
guitar sampling in S teve Reich vein. (FdW)
Address: <schiliro@italway.it>