The folks over at 4ADhave the weight of two-decade legacy to bear, and Magnétophone is oneof the first new acts to the 4AD roster in years. This Frenchelectronic duo seems to float at the surface in the sea ofelectronicians who merge beats with minimalistic motives. Their firstfew releases consist of a few tape-only's and some 7" singles throughEarworm. This disc here is their debut full-lengther for the 4AD, butit leaves me wondering what the label's motives are for a group likethis. Are enough people paying attention to 4AD these days to getexcited over something that 4AD has never ventured with? I ask thisquestion because in the 80s, people all over the world would pick upanything from 4AD. Another thing I wonder about is if electronic musiclike this is commercially viable enough to warrant 4AD's tendencies togo overboard with packaging and artwork? The CD itself is beautifullypackaged, including a thin scrap of metal, cut in the shape of aMagnetophone logo and a back which half exposes the CD itself. Overall,I'm impressed as the music refuses to get the least bit boring oroverly repetitive. The disc almost sneaks into the genre of the currentelectronic trendy scenester type stuff, but brings with it a muchgreater variety in sounds. There's truly a wealth of sources used inthe creation of this disc. Absent from this disc is the recent trendfrom many to include dub elements. The music is subdued enough to holdyour adoration and punchy enough in spots to keep you awake. In mostparts, it's somewhat improvisational sounding, leading me to believethat a well-practiced live show would be something special to see. Thesongs themselves are rather sophomoric in terms of structure andcomposition, haphazardly tossing in samples and gated effects, almostto avoid boredom - grooves start and diversions are tossed in to breakany sense of monotony. The sounds themselves are matured andwell-defined enough to make me interested in the group to wonder wherethey're going next.samples:
Fans of Stars of the Lidand Labradford need not be surprised as this album truly sounds likewhat a collaboration between the two groups would sound like. AdamWiltze from Stars has provided his lush soundscapes of symphonicmajesty while Bobby Donne of Labradford brings to the table echoingresonant guitar melodies and even the rare subtle vocals. This discbrings into perspective that Labradford wouldn't be the same withoutall three elements. Mark Nelson's Pan American project coupled with thelive experience of seeing Carter trigger pulses and noises whileplaying the keyboards pretty much completes the puzzle (if you wouldconsdier it a puzzle to begin with!). Aix Em Kelmm is quiet but notwithout forward motion, and growing to be one of my more favoritealbums of the year. Like most music from either camp, it's a charminglisten late at night and a solid record that would easily be able tointroduce fans from either band to the other side.
"Molam Dub" unites the UK's Jah Wobble and friends with the European based Laotian group Molam Lao. Molam is the beloved traditional music of Laos, a competitive courtship ritual based on improvised singing and the khene (a bamboo mouthorgan similar to an accordian/harmonica). It surprised me at first just how well the Laotians complement and mesh with the old school deep dub groove of team Wobble. It sounds and feels completely natural as though the two were always meant to go together.
"Beach Fervour Spare" is the second installment of the deep bass journey begun last year with "Deep Space". This time around the band is minus Bill Laswell and Jaki Leibeziet and plus Mark Sanders - drums, Chris Cookson - guitar and production, Paul Schütze - atmospheres and Marc Angelo Lusardi - production and retains Clive Bell and Jean Pierre Rasle. I don't (yet) have the first album so I can't compare the two cds and bands, but there's no doubt that this unit has played together for some time.
Recorded six years ago, but just released this year, this is a three way collaboration with some of the biggest names who inhabit that gray space between musique concret and harsh noise. The result is an all-too-brief work that covers the strengths of both scenes quite nicely.
I have not heard anything from this French duo since 2008's The World Upside-Down, but their gently roiling and shimmering guitar drone made a big impression on me.  On this, their first full-length vinyl release, Pierre Faure and Thierry Monnier caught me a bit off-guard by taking a much more minimal and much less overtly musical approach.  It definitely took me a while to warm to these changes, as their new arsenal of buzzes, hums, and whirs does not offer much in the way of immediacy, melody, or rhythm. However, there is still quite a lot to like here, as Sun Stabbed have made some significant creative progress over the last few years– it just takes some faith and patience to appreciate it.
Sonic Youth and the Opalio Brothers both share a definite propensity towards ambitious and fruitful international collaborations, so it was pretty much inevitable that they'd wind up occasionally intermingling.  In fact, this live Verona performance is actually the second time that these four musicians have shared a stage, having previously performed with Dead C's Michael Morley in 2008 as part of a French art exhibition.  In theory, the combination of Ranaldo's tumultuous guitar noise, Ponzini's Japanese percussion, and Roberto Opalio's weird sci-fi toys has the potential to be something quite spectacular.  The reality is a bit less than that, but this album definitely has its share of compelling moments.
After recently loving the Sun Splitter cassette on Land of Decay, I had high hopes going into this split and they most certainly came through. Their half here stands up proudly with that tape, which is no easy feat, and the Bridesmaid side is no slouch either.
