(02.23.05) Instead of reading up a press-release, bio-page, info-sheet and/or discography about the latest two releases on UK’s Expanding Records, how about simply writing about the music? How about delving into a couple of new Digi-Pak’s that feature minutely fine-tuned tweaks and calming clicks rather than introducing the artist, their accomplishments and history? This time around we’re listening to Lambent’s These Days and Monoceros’ When I Was A Child I Wanted To Be An Astronaut. The effects are astounding.
The minute tweaks, taps and flickers appear on Lambent’s These Days, a tranquilizing album full of emotive transmissions. Gentle melodies collide with chiseled beats as escaping rhythms bounce wall to wall. Like the effects of a microphone hanging from the ceiling of a large open space, Lambent’s sound captures the micro-elements of rhythm and reflects them next to synaptic grooves. Synthetic tones click away in the foreground as bursts of percussion illuminate the slippery high-notes. On These Days it’s quite easy to imagine the simplicity of moods as they nurture and multiply within a quick 42-minute opus of pleasant sounds. Fans of Arovane definitely take note.
On Monoceros’ When I Was A Child I Wanted To Be An Astronaut, the casual elements of Lambent’s sound are elevated a few notches with the inclusion of a more fragrant dose of melody versus constructive beat-work. Time stretches and emotive envelopes of space dance in the background while ambient rivers of sound trickle into an ocean of magnetism. Inspiring lucid dreams, tangled memories and blurred vision, When I Was A Child… interacts peacefully as it tries to display a casual electronic listening experience much in line with those memorable Artificial Intelligence moments where Speedy J, Musicology and Autechre mingled with delicately evocative rhythms.
Both Lambent and Monoceros’ derive their sounds from a wide spectrum of inspired moments that bend, refract and compliment memories from the past –and as expected, Expanding Records consistently delivers these audio transmissions with attention to detail in both packaging and delivery. These Days and When I Was A Child… make a great couple –blending nostalgic electronica with a sense of optimistic beauty and fine-tuned precision. Contemporary non-vocal electronic music is simply an understatement here.
Both albums are out now on Expanding Records.
Related posts ::
Benge :: Meme Tunes (Expanding Records)
Monoceros :: Tales For Silent Nights (Fueradeserie!/Imaginary NonexistentRecords, CD)
HYMEN Records :: Expanding the creative process
Leenak/Makunouchi Bento + Relative Q :: 2 x Reviews (One Records, MP3)
Medical Records :: Reviews for Deutsche Wertarbeit and Alexander Robotnick
