(05.21.07) Running alongside the new Genaro release, Benbecula have a new compilation out now. Some may remember the early Benbecula vinyl compilations, such as Music Volume One and Music Volume Two; well now we’re on to Music Volume Four. The assortment takes elements from the recent catalogue, such as the Mineral Series, as well as calling up some of the old guns. The first Music Volume releases are highly regarded and were almost a blueprint for what Benbecula was trying to do in Scotland and electronics in general. Now that the label is established, this release is more of a showcase of what the Northern imprint has to offer the ears of the electronic masses today.
Jack Marchment opens the show with “David’s Dance.” The track calls up images of brisk winter mornings with its cold metallic tweaks and cascades of alienating sound. Yet, the piece has an undeniable structure to it; perching comfortably as an evocative piece of electronica. A good number to get the voyage started on. Brian Ellis and “Prophecy Rock” are an unsettling string experiment. Traditional tones are shot through with computer slabs. Melody is turned upside down, rhythm inside out. The track has interesting elements, but its abrasive attitude makes it an early contender for the skip button. The rock theme flows onward as Genaro and “Into the Sun (Doomsday Mix)” follow. A wonderfully hazy piece of rock. The Doomsday mix is almost a carbon copy of the original, but the original is great so it’s nothing to worry about. The compilation is cleverly compiled, with distorted guitar’esque chords floating in with Ochre, formerly on Toytronic, and “The Everywhere Air.” The Ochre and Genaro tracks complement each other beautifully, both being light and warm; a movement away from the colder composition of Jack Marchment.
An ambient calm descends over the soundwaves as Cheer ushers in “Scapa Run.” The track comes to life with slow, wind like, breathes before a rich piano arrangement is lavished upon the listener. An achingly emotive piece, and thought provoking blend of ambient and electronic. Piano keys are reverberated into “Let the Seasons Drift” by Aerosol. The track mixes electronic elements with organic, as rasped beats are looped and strings echo. Prhizzm adds a more playful element with his “Qualm.” An echoing, looping, wisp of a track with dripping melodies and drowsy beats. A short, bubble of sound before Michael Santos lands with his ambient “Supercolour.” However, this is not a heavyweight piece of atmospheric electronics like some ambient tracks tend to be. The tones are weightless, rising out of the speakers before bobbing around the room in spirals of sound; keeping the freshness of the album.
Before the compilation glides away on a cushion of delicate electronica, Rain-Cloud emerge to give some buoyancy with “Quiet Approach.” There still remains a lightness to the track, but sombre guitars bring lead-like substance and breaks up the tracklist nicely. The balloon is finally burst, more like ruptured, by the heavy shattered beats of Chirst. and “Tomorrow’s World.” But, it soon becomes apparent Christ. has not come as a destructive force; he has been introduced to create a new tone within the mixture. The track, with its tormented vocals and abrasive beats, builds on the certainty established by Rain-Cloud whilst producing a difference in composition in the album’s structure. Guitars and ease return with Jaspar Leyland and “Fused Trails,” but this seems to move away from what was happening with Christ.’s appearance and distracts rather than balances. Sound manipulation sets in with Save Obvious Machine References and “PDPT2.” An abrasive collection of sounds, glitch, strings and noise. A track that, after one listen, will have few calling back. Gareth Dickson arrives for the penultimate track: “Salvia Space.” This short, snippet of a work, is a lonesome string number; a simple, beatless but powerful piece. The Danish Syntaks finishes off the compilation with “Coming Home.” The track is crisp, warm and well produced; rounding the compilation off perfectly.
Music Volume Four is a wonderfully seasonal release, moving from a chilly early Spring into the warmth of early Summer sound. The compilation is well arranged, with similar tones and genres lining up seamlessly. The album showcases some of the immense talent that the tongue twisting Scottish label has to offer; yet it seems like the release is attempting to showcase all its artists in too small a space. The beauty of the vinyl editions of the early Music Volumes was the limitations of the wax. The main drawback of Music Volume Four is that it is too long. Some tracks, especially those nearing the end, don’t add to the release. The album flows effortlessly until after the Christ. track, from whence the motor stutters for a few minutes before purring once again. Nevertheless these hiccups are minor. The compilation is a loving blend of electronic, ambient and acoustics and an august illustration of what Benbecula has achieved so far.
Music Volume Four is out now on Benbecula.
