How many cities in the world have an all-electronica station? Suffice it to say, that few exist, especially not stateside. But, fear not; until such a time that such a station is launched in your town, you may pick up a cd-sampler with some excellent variety of electronic music. Synth-guru, Ronnie Martin, has once again made it his mission to keep providing electronica for the masses through his division of Tooth & Nail Records, plastiq musiq. And with only the almighty keyboard as a uniting factor, prepare yourself for rampant individuality and creativity on this compilation.
Opening up the sampler, is lunasect's "ghost," complete with haunting female vocals, over a trance-like bed of synth, and drum loops. Sool brings up the tempo, in "Love is Everywhere," with angelic harmonies, and a dense carpet of rave-y keyboards. Mothership's "Suffocate" is really kind of a synthesized nod to Radiohead, thick with spacey atmospheric feeling. Drenched in pure eighties vibe, The Echoing Green's "Thief" has a strong melodic sensibility, and it is easy to see why they have staying power among their fans. Goodnight Star shows much growth in the few months since their debut with their contribution of "Blue Skies" - a simple, but charming number, free from artificiality.
Oregon natives, Warp Factor 9, offer up one of the most unique cuts on the compilation. This young band capitalizes on using a Moog to compliment pared down, lo-fi, underground retro rock, (you know - guitars, drums, bass?) creating true alternative-underground-indie-synth-rock.
A stand-out track is House of Wires' "World of the Future," with a similar simplicity as WF9. The vocals are purposefully almost drowned out by the jazzy beat, and the eclectic horn samples. Britannika's "The Disconnected" also has a modest, but effective approach.
Next up, is norway, plastiq musiq's latest offering, with a full-length album out last month. They play "Walk on the Ocean" with a Erasuresque vibe, sure to please many fans of the British synth moguls. "God Money" by Children of the Inquisition starts out slow, with sounds of rain, and other things, gradually building into a tempo, which is coupled with different keyboard originated sounds and blips. Unfortunately, this song errs on the long side, which drops it down a notch from the other tracks on the compilation. Otherwise, it has a space-age texture that is quite likeable.
Situation plays a plinkety-plunkety little ditty called "Ever So Sweet," which reminds me of the old "Da-Da-Da" song by Trio, (you know, from the Volkswagen commercials?) but without the irritating after-effects. Last, but certainly not least, is a cut by Joy Electric, "Come In, Brother," which reinforces why Ronnie Martin is DA man. Lush, intricate, and wistful. It's Joy Electric at its best.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Michial FarmerAfter hearing a few songs from House of Wires and Goodnight Star, I had pigeonholed Plastiq Musiq as being a label full of Joy Electric soundalikes. This conclusion made logical sense, as JE frontman Ronnie Martin founded the label. However, the label's new compilation, New Musiq Volume One, contains a wide variety of techno/synth-pop styles, and serves to prove how wrong prejudgments are. The…
