There are variations in dynamics, arrangements and tones but all the songs included ultimately make sense as part of the greater arrangement. Then there are those which switch gears and challenge a listener by doing so. Some fail at this. Some succeed. Urtìis by hi.mo is such an album that succeeds in this change.
There are some records which maintain a consistent theme from start to end. There are variations in dynamics, arrangements and tones but all the songs included ultimately make sense as part of the greater arrangement. Then there are those which switch gears and challenge a listener by doing so. Some fail at this. Some succeed. Urtìis by hi.mo is such an album that succeeds in this change.
“’Gnot” opens the album with pulsing keys over a beat that lingers somewhere in between the realm of hiphop and glitch. Over time the track expands into subtle atmospherics and odd, decontextualized vocal samples. “Dreams” opens with looping string that waft over noisy bass tones and a disjointed sampled drum loop, followed by lazy, hazy synth pads and a distinctly flabby yet compelling hand clap (within each song there’s subtle manipulations going on that a less acute listener might mistake for a weak attempt at Boards of Canada style trip-hop). “Dance in your Dreams” uses obvious dub elements with expertly concocted beats to keep the approach fresh. There’s a lightness at play in this track, somewhat different from those proceeding it. “Jonaz” works in an off-kilter beat under what sounds like a thrift store organ and sample telephone bells, producing a track that grooves while not exactly inducing one to dance to it. Now “Maakohmustaa” is where the album takes an odd turn, primarily in the use of dialogue samples of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton from “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” along with the cut up pieces of an Italian crooner. All of this takes place over a simple beat and simpler keys. “Ode B” continues this shift with more disjointed drums, offset loops containing drones or atonal percussion. “Pause” is a short track that could be confused for a Tortoise outtake with its Keith Jarrett piano loops and jazz drums skittering across the soundbed. “Retro Games” uses more percussive loops and simple, FM-modulated organic tones to build its loping rhythm. “Sturm” eases in with soft bells and quiet sound effects as it builds into a bigger, noisier almost chaotic affair that hovers at the edge of completely falling apart. “Yellow” delves further into the realm of hip hop with its beats while conjuring up images of dusty rooms in abandoned homes, their contents disturbed by hot winds blowing through broken windows. “Parenthese” has an oddly timed piano loop and Autechre style bass ushering in a light and giddy drum loop like a band of robots who have discovered bossa nova and tropicalia music just after the apocalypse. “March” has a somber feel to it with down-tuned pianos and lumbering drums and lo-fi samples ushering the listener out into the world after experiencing this charming and odd collection of tracks.
Urtìis is available on Pregnant Void.
