Captures (pre8ep 001)

Review

I'm no expert on dance, electronic, IDM, ambient, or related but the older I get the more compelling I find these genres. I don't know the conventions or terminology so people really into this style (styles) of music might find my review naive but maybe that can be useful.

I've heard of this band, The Future Sound of London, for ages, I think - but never gave them a try. I'm not certain what caused me to taste this one - a friend's suggestion or a mention in a talk, or maybe I was just in the right mood when I saw the track list names...

The Album (EP, I suppose) is what I would describe as trancy, drone, dance, ambient - but as I've said I'm not well versed in these genres at all. It goes by quite quickly and that seems to be attractive with my diminishing attention span.

It opens with a sort of nod to György Ligeti - known to me for that ethereal vocal music found in 2001: A Space Odyssey - moving into a kind of ocean feel - comfortably lonely. It will get more sinister. It is the first and last tracks that seem to contain the most data. I've always been partial to last tracks and so I bring my own baggage to what they should mean, how they should be thought of. This first is meaty - it goes on the most varied journey of the EP. It has moments of loneliness that feel quite ok with being alone. But there's some scary stuff as well.

The second track, Leafy Suburbs, is more uplifting - it makes you feel safer. An organic quality to it, it feels quite nice and airy - like a comfortable breeze. contentment.

Track three is pensive and feels transient - that might be partly because it's so short. I really like the sounds - they have that proximity effect type feel like someone's licking your brain. (I'm aware the brain contains no sensory receptors but the description feels right). There's something medieval or an 80s film version of the medieval period about this.

Track four first struck me as alien. That might just be the warbly pulled out bass sounds that remind me of recentish scifi soundtracks? I enjoy how forward the beat is along with the subtle high notes - kind of a pizzicato thing. I love that you can listen to a piece like this in different ways.

Track five has a rolling movement to it - a shuffle. I think the name 'Slow Moving Carcass' is pretty apt. This is another track with some danger - a threat.

Ending the EP with a pretty short one. It moves a lot - touches more places. In a way there's an echo of the first song. It's emotionally complex - I don't get a single, easily defined feeling from this. Like track one it seems to be data dense.. or explores more.. I dunno.

I really enjoy this EP. I like the mood, vibe, feel. It's nostalgic in its warm fuzzy sounds that wrap around you. I like the wet sounds and intimacy of the tones. There's also a not overused bit of glitchy sounds that make the EP have more texture than it would without. I like music that invites you to listen to it in different ways and the music of this EP does that.

Standouts for me at this early stage of listening are tracks 1, 2, and 6. But these kinds of albums sit with you differently after you sit with them for a while - I expect my feelings about the EP and each track will change over time.