January-March 2007: Capsule Reviews
2007-04-01
The Dandelion Council, The Mysteries of Bioluminscence [AH004]
Archaic Horizon is a welcome new addition to the net label game. Since November 2006 they’ve been releasing quality albums and EPs at a feverish pace. The Mysteries of Bioluminscence, a mini-album (or EP if you like) by newcomer The Dandelion Council, is no exception. Between the mesmeric, fluid haze of its shifting ambient tones and the almost minimalistic quality of Mysteries‘ downtempo rhythms, the Council fully realizes the image found on the cover art: A sort of half-remembered day spent at the beach, quietly contemplating the tides. This is a highly successful debut, and I look forward to hearing more from Pip in the future.
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Thisket, Trytry [CMR020]
Don’t be frightened by the man on the cover. Despite his preference for undersized, ponch-revealing jackets, Daniel L. Williams makes some of the finest acid in North America. Eschewing the modern software approach for a more traditional, sine-happy sound, Thisket creates enveloping, punchy, cascading analog tracks that will please even the most discriminating of Cornish goblins. Trytry is a worthy followup to last November’s pensive and beautiful The Golden Afternoon. Whereas that album was more of a sedate, haunted little foray into Thisket’s retro-futuristic aesthetic, this time around things are decidedly aggressive. Tracks like “7.AVL” sizzle and pop their way through a foreboding melodic backdrop, while others like “Floor” build with distorted, paranoiac intensity. For fans of the early Warp sound and acid techno in general, this is not to be missed.
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Firnwald, The Secrets of Bardic Trickery [laridae032]
From cold and distant to uncomfortably close, Firnwald thoroughly mixes the signals on his fourth album, The Secrets of Bardic Trickery. It’s a bizarre, at times sinister travelogue through fragile ambient woodlands and smoking industrial ruins. Certainly not for the faint of heart, but brave listeners will be rewarded with tracks like the epic “Bergpfad” which meanders from the paranoid to the almost-but-not-quite peaceful. Firnwald is reluctant to allow the listener to relax completely, and every poorly lit passage seems to hide some new monster. Highly original and immaculately produced stuff.
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Beak, Bishop Whitney EP [mtk.mp3.180]
While not as fancifully titled as his last, Amoral Mayor Earwig, this EP enlarges on Beak’s guitar-meets-laptop motives. This time the beats get even more frenetic, as on the crazy, skittering folktronix of “Context Clues” and “Bugg Ride”. Despite the playful, chaotic elements that creep in from the edges, Beak never loses sight of the melodic core of these pieces. The final track, “Essine’s Hair”, is my favorite of the bunch — a rolling, thumping, energetic little tune that features electric and acoustic guitar and, of course, the possibly ADD-induced electro-flotsam that I’ve come to associate with Mr. Beak. Well done.
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