Proswell is Joseph Misra of Chicago, releasing Carrot Dossier as his second full-length for US label Merck. The follow-up to 2002’s Konami, Carrot Dossier clocks in at a fraction under 60 minutes and features no less than 20 tracks representing a progression in the sound of Proswell from his roots on the demo scene.
Opening with the pulsing reactor drone, deliberate beats and cinematic tension of “Intro” and moving on to the industrial throb and almost clockwork melodies of “Tar and Atari,” Proswell makes a promising start. “Columbo Theme” turns up the atmospherics a notch whilst veering towards glitchy weirdness while, contrastingly, “Carrot Dossier 10” is a weird off-kilter 80’s electro-disco track. “Oreo” on the other hand is a darkly percussive track of slow sub bass booms and sampled TV programmes. “Aperitif” picks up the pace with rhythmic breaks that disintegrate as the track progresses and “Olive” is another rhythmic with simplistic melodies and a somewhat futuristic slant. “Susie Was Practicing,” “Peach” and “Apricot” are all variations on the theme of the faltering computer game style with vibrating bass throughout. “Duck” is altogether warmer with gentle melodies and enveloping beats although Misra can’t help adding computer game effects even here. “Rat News” is again quite lush until abstract jangly beats kick in over what would be a great soothing atmospheric track. “Outro” closes the album with sweeping synth washes, fizzy beat stabs, percussive accompaniment and slightly deranged almost Oriental melodies.
Misra seems undecided whether he wants to produce computer game, atmospheric ambient or beat orientated music and often mixes any or all of these styles in his tracks. Sometimes it works but often the divergent mix seems out of place and mismatched. The atmospheric and melodic ambient material and indeed some of the industrial and beat focused music here is good but obscured by the incompatible combination. Tracks such as “Intro,” “Oreo,” “Duck” and “Rat News” prove the ideas and ability are there, it is just the execution that needs to be refined further.
Carrot Dossier is OUT NOW on Merck Records.
