Comma

Though many listeners would rightfully associate Sam Prekop with the airy post-rock sound he explored in his band the Sea and Cake or with his early solo albums, the Chicago musicians muse slowly turned to electronic sounds sometime around the release of his 2010 solo album Old Punch Card. The formless modular synthesis of that album led to somewhat more structured ambient electronics five years later on The Republic, and with another five years, Prekops electronic sounds reach new levels of composition and emotional clarity on Comma. Prekop was already experimenting with incorporating more composed song structures on The Republic, but the sounds were frenetic and brassy. Commas sounds are decidedly more focused and pop-minded, evoking the same blend of computer-derived sounds and human feelings that defined some of the most popular electronic pioneers. Bright and melodic tunes like Summer Places recall Kraftwerks steady pop propulsion or the playfulness of Yellow Magic Orchestra while the flickering Circle Line feels like a more tuneful take on Terry Rileys meditative drones. Prekops earlier modular synthesis soundscapes were glitchy and unpredictable, moving from gentle blips into fields of noise without notice. Most of those noisy impulses are completely gone from Comma. The soft ambience of rhythmless track September Remember spills into two friendly segments, the first a slow-moving Eno-esque drift and the second movement a wandering cluster of flute-like tones that marches slowly by. Throughout Comma, Prekops use of rhythm isnt geared towards the dancefloor but used as an additional layer to guide his interlocking melodies along. The lazy, reflective The New Last uses drum patterns that are barely there but shift gradually from phased hi-hats to reverb-heavy claps. These are the strongest and most immediate of Prekops electronic songs, feeling more meaningful and intentional than the interesting experiments of earlier albums. It took him a few records to get here, but with Comma, Prekop finally affixes his distinctive melodic sensibilities and songwriting voice onto his electronic compositions. ~ Fred Thomas

〈The Sea and Cake〉のフロント・マン、サム・プレコップの5年半ぶりの新作がついにリリース。サム・プレコップといえば最近はMute GospelとスプリットEPを出したり、ジョン・マッケンタイアとのコラボ曲を発売したりと、ソロやグループ以外での活動が目立っていたので待望の1枚といえるだろう。本作は、全作品がインストゥルメンタルでありアンビエント色の強い内容であるが、かなりポップな音色に出来上がっている。ミックスはジョン・マッケンタイアが担当、マスタリングにはテイラー・デュプリーという豪華な布陣。
intoxicate (C)荻原慎介