A bit of a diversion today as we start off with something not quite electronic in the usual sense of what I normally post. We're hopping on the soundtrack train again for a little bit of British Sea Power's Disco Elysium OST. It's a fantastic soundtrack, while it might not fit here in full it has its moments that I think make it worth putting here. Whirling-In-Rags, 8am gives me the same feeling that The Knife's Vegetarian Restaurant did all those years ago - it's certainly cut from the same cloth in terms of sound, though Whirling has a little bit more of a sedate Jangle-Pop streak to it, both have that tinge of melancholy too that is just lovely too. I've been looping this one every morning as of late, makes for really good settling in to work mode music.
On that same note I've put Au Revoir Simone's Move In Spectrums back in rotation after a while, and its funny how your perception of albums can be coloured with time. See, I remember Spectrums being full of lovely synthpop stuff with some lyrics that demand to be sung along to - that's not an incorrect assessment by any stretch, and those poppier tracks are still my favourites from the album but it means I'd forgotten about tracks like this. We Both Know, a rare almost full instrumental from the album eschews the poppier structure for something a little more... well, lots of things really: a bit of dream pop, a dash of shoegaze and perhaps a touch of a more chillwave vibe too. I can tell why this one fell by the wayside in comparison to some of the other tracks on there, but something about it just struck a different chord when it came on recently - it's wonderful.
My current foray into the world of melodic IDM continues with Bochum Welt - yet another name I'd earmarked from the few appearances on Rephlex way back when. April is an album of contrasts, nestled up amongst these absolutely gorgeous flowing electronics are some decidedly more harsh and rigid flurries of beats, nothing approaching Venetian Snares levels of beat butchery but still. In that sense the album is IDM in a nutshell, and I must admit I have more love for the melodic pieces here than the others. Bochum Welt has a real great sound on these more melodic tracks - Garden (NYC Mix) is a great example, its muted beats and delicate electronics make for a pleasant, almost ambient experience. I think the closest reference point is once again some of The Flashbulb's work, especially between Garden and the one I've chosen to post here, DR2D, which is lush throughout and is just simply a joy to listen to. Opening with those almost aquatic and N64-esque sounds before really coming into its own around the one minute mark.
And that will do us for this time, I had a couple more things lined up but I'll hang onto them as potentials for next time, haven't managed to pin down something to do as a Retro Review yet you see. Would have ideally looked up something tomorrow but it's looking pretty busy so I thought I'd knock this one out real quick to tide over until the weekend, a little variety grab bag if you will. And as always - stay safe and enjoy the music.
-CVF
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