Thepicompromise

At first glitch, this sounds like scores of other releases on Merck, or any other such experimental label that seeks to push the limits without actually breaking them. Funny then by the second track you'd forget that you had ever heard this sort of melodic and subtle machine music, so engulfing is the embrace by this unidentified "conglomerate" or artists. Swaying basslines and finger-snapping hip-hop beats are painted over in watercolor yellows and deep oil-based greens. But not all is utterly beautiful. "Brokenfader Break" stutters and chuckles a menacing chime and weeps the sound of larger reed instruments and "Steppen" give a ghastly wide bass thump to do just that. Most impressive are the odd moments of originality that you didn't even think were possible anymore with this sort of white-bread IDM and odd hi-hat rattle on "You Are a Commodity," which is all it takes to make things stand out from the crowd. Doing things well still has an edge over doing things different. ~ Joshua Glazer|