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eviews<br />
ALBUMS<br />
Eight Frozen Modules<br />
Crumbling And Responding<br />
G25 Productions/US/CD<br />
Polycubist Vs. dubLoner<br />
Selecta One<br />
Skor/US/CD<br />
Since 1997, the astoundingly versatile Eight Frozen Modules (one of Ken Gibson’s<br />
many aliases) has made a convincing argument for the health of IDM. Crumbling<br />
And Responding is 8FM’s sixth album of five-dimensional rhythms, psychedelic<br />
abstractions, and textural insanity. It’s time people start talking about 8FM with<br />
the same reverence they do Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. On Selecta One, LA<br />
studio rats Polycubist (Jason Kennedy) and dubLoner (Gibson again) prove that<br />
Caucasians making dub in 2005 isn’t absurd. dubLoner edges out Polycubist in this<br />
aromatic soundclash, with the former more imaginatively mutating entrenched<br />
Tubby/Perry paradigms into fresh configurations. Dave Segal<br />
ElekTro4<br />
Keystroke One<br />
Bully/US/CD<br />
ElekTro4 is a smart guy. With his debut, Keystroke One, this NYC-based instrumentalist<br />
has cleverly divided his album into two sections. Part One: Portrait Of The City is<br />
a vibrant, hip-hop-driven response to living in NYC, complete with sampled rhymes<br />
and neck-snapping beats. Then there’s Part Two: The Suicide Suite, a more downcast<br />
grouping of work complete with eerie piano and organ melodies. Almost any hip-hop<br />
fan will enjoy Part One, whereas conoisseurs of darker beats (like those of DJ Signify,<br />
who provides cuts here) will be drawn to Part Two. Nonetheless, the album is good<br />
enough to be enjoyed straight through as well. Max Herman<br />
Ellen Allien<br />
Thrills<br />
BPitch Control/GER/CD<br />
Moodier and darker than 2003’s Berlinette, Thrills maintains Allien’s position as a point<br />
person for techno’s ever-evolving sound. Again she contributes vocals—on “Your Body<br />
Is My Body,” where a spidery texture and ghostly gurgles travel the empty spaces, and<br />
“Down,” where an electro break is hijacked by a decidedly feminist chant. Sans beat,<br />
dreamy rocker “Naked Rain” could enter the Pop Ambient realm, as it–like most of<br />
Thrills–is propelled by the sentimental melody at its heart. While not all the tracks are<br />
as strong, each benefits from Allien’s humanistic touch. Recalling Richard Brautigan’s<br />
1968 poem, her work seems informed by machines of loving grace. Rachel Shimp<br />
Gabin<br />
Mr. Freedom<br />
Astralwerks/US/CD<br />
If you were having cocktails in a smoky Latin jazz club, watching beautiful people<br />
dance, Gabin’s Mr. Freedom would be the soundtrack for the evening. The Italian duo’s<br />
latest endeavor is an uptempo recording that combines blues and Latin rhythms with a<br />
Sergio Mendes-like-charm. Songs like “Into My Soul,” “Midnight Café,” and “It’s Gonna<br />
Be” are groovy, rhythmic, and surprisingly soulful, making Mr. Freedom a refreshing<br />
departure from the recent onslaught of mechanical sounding party records. David Ma<br />
Gang Gang Dance<br />
God’s Money<br />
Social Registry/US/CD<br />
If Fat Albert’s Junkyard Band were eccentric Brooklyn indies acting on the impulses<br />
of an extensive world music collection, they might make a record like God’s Money<br />
in 2005. Recorded at Junkyard Audio Salvage–a self-explanatory playground for<br />
analogophiles in Greenpoint–GGD allegedly made use of every noise-making device<br />
they could find during the year-long recording of their second LP. The result is a<br />
worldly soundclash of the “only in New York” variety; a beautiful/ugly mishmash<br />
of tribal drums, Middle Eastern rhythms, Baltic new wave, unconfined psychedelic<br />
experimentalism, and vocalist Lizzie Bougatsos’ sometimes beautiful, sometimes<br />
horrifically off-putting chirps. While it often seems like a magic ride to nowhere, the<br />
net result nonetheless feels earth-shatteringly profound. Jesse Serwer<br />
J-Live<br />
The Hear After<br />
Penalty-Rykodisc/US/CD<br />
Although this ex-English teacher and recent Philly transplant may live in a different<br />
state, his aesthetics still come from the same New York mind state that produced classic<br />
lessons like “Braggin’ Writes.” Updating old school values for a new school of listeners,<br />
the Big Apple native hits heads up on “The Sidewalks” with a clever G-Funk-era<br />
synth riff. And anyone who has taught school in the inner city will appreciate “Brooklyn<br />
Public Pt 1,” when J raps: “One class. 31 students. 32 chairs. 25 desks. I guess they gotta<br />
share.” A solid effort, J-Live stays atop the indie honor roll. James Mayo<br />
The Juan Maclean<br />
Less Than Human<br />
DFA/US/CD<br />
Following a string of singles well received by both the clubs and the press,<br />
former Six Finger Satellite guitarist John Maclean makes his long-awaited LP<br />
debut on scene stalwart DFA, and fans will not be disappointed. Less Than<br />
Human features everything we’ve come to love about Maclean’s productions–gritty<br />
dance beats, pulsating Italo-influenced basslines, ‘80s-style<br />
syn-toms, disco vocals, and rock & roll attitude. A perfect soundtrack for<br />
2005–halfway through the first decade of the new millennium, Maclean<br />
has deconstructed, re-wired, and retrofitted an assortment of semi-ignored<br />
genres into post-post modernistic mayhem. Ironic No, it’s pure, unadulterated<br />
fun–the kind of no-holds-barred, balls-to-the-wall party jams that are so<br />
loose and juicy, so “fuck it and fuck you,” they’re positively punk rock. Now<br />
get out of my way–there’s a party going on. Alexander Posell<br />
The Juan Maclean<br />
Kid606<br />
Resilience<br />
Tigerbeat6/US/CD<br />
Through his laptop’s noise, Miguel Depedro, a.k.a. Kid606, creates as much as<br />
he destroys, loves as much as he cuts a conversation and walks away. Resilience<br />
drops that yin-yang in favor of florid emotions and declarations that lack quotation<br />
marks. Opener “Done With The Scene” and the more haunting “Sugarcoated” are<br />
synth-pop glides that peek at a sea of suburban rooftops through one Venetian<br />
blind. Depedro also explores his compatriot DJ/Rupture’s territory with disjointed<br />
Middle Eastern hip-hop in “Hold it Together,” along with delivering slightly skewed<br />
dancehall in “Phoenix Riddim” and “Banana Peel.” Resilience places Depedro at a<br />
crossroads where it is nigh impossible to predict where he will go next. He points<br />
in nearly every direction here, and is richer for it. Cameron Macdonald<br />
Felix Laband<br />
Dark Days Exit<br />
Compost/GER/CD<br />
Felix Laband may be the first star to emerge from South Africa’s nascent electronic<br />
scene–having released two smallish albums on African Dope, he drew the<br />
notice of the Compost camp and this album demonstrates why. Dark Days Exit is<br />
an interesting blend of Latin, ambient, folk, and lounge flavors. The production<br />
and composition is top notch throughout, but check the choppy clicks of “Crooked<br />
Breath” or the eerie, melodic “Radio Right Now” for signs of true inspiration. A<br />
talent to watch. Alexander Posell<br />
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