 Metaphor
"Strange Lives" CD
Innova
Recordings
Genres: ambient electronica, dub, electronica
American Composers Forum
332 Minnesota St. E-145
St Paul, MN 55101
July 15 - 21 2002 |
While
Strange Lives is broken into nine tracks, comprising over fifty
minutes, I like to think that it operates best as a whole. Not only do
the pieces flow into each other seamlessly, but the moods and
emotions, although unique for each composition, form a sort of epic
when played in their entirety. As each track is given its time to play
out, the power of the album accumulates, and as more and more is piled
onto your ears, you are left with a large agglomeration of sounds and
feelings. This "agglomeration" represents a whole variety of
musical moods and textures - from dark, ambient electronics to upbeat
technoid rhythms - all put together as one unlikely record.
While many of the instruments on this album were played live for
the recording, Strange Lives remains a largely electronic
album, simply because the synths and samples tend to take the lead in
the music. While the synthesizers are mostly used abstractly, the
samples (coupled with the bass guitar) are often used to supply the
music with a beat - as is especially evident on "Sir Froederic
Dub", an aptly-titled dose of dub. This conglomeration of
classical instrumentation and electronic blips and beats is a
wonderful success, and the music succeeds as a beautiful amalgam of
electronic sounds.
While Metaphor may owe a bit to Bill Laswell, The
Thievery Corporation, and various other ambient electronica
outfits, the band chooses to revel in their influences, rather than
sound unoriginal or stale. If calm, yet dark, electronica is your game
- then you owe Metaphor a listen; Strange Lives is pure
electronic bliss.
90%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 52 min 12 sec; 9 tracks; distributed by Tower;
released 2002] |
