To Rococo Rot - ABC123 (Domino)
3/5
By: Chris O'Toole
Album number six for the Berlin based post-rock trio, ABC123 clocks in at just 21 minutes, and is composed of eight precise, smooth, electronic ditties. Each note on each track is placed exactly among a constellation of its peers to create an effortless appearance to a finely honed whole. The work was commissioned as, of all things, part of a celebration of the enduring Helvetica type face, and claims to draw inspiration from the familiarity and blackness of the font.
As a record, however, its impact is limited. Akin to the likeminded Tortoise and other Thrill Jockey based luminaries, the songs are beautifully orchestrated but their ethereal beauty drifts past without note. Gone are the linear patterns and analogue warmth of their previous outing, 'Hotel Morgen', to be replaced with a digital approximation of what originally shone the spotlight on the group.
The simplistic title is indeed a good pointer of what is contained within, and the record can be described as a form of electronic post-rock by numbers. Only 'Verschiden' stands above the mêlée - crating an ominous sense of foreboding over its brief course - with the remainder of the set paling in comparison. At times it sounds as though the mice have eaten through the cables, causing the machines to malfunction and the results have been left in.
As Stefan Schneider explained: "I was curious to see how the music would come out if you did something that was not made with musical logic. I knew John Cage once did a piece where a chess board was mechanically connected to four individual sound sources. The players were generating sound randomly by moving the pieces from one field to another. That's what I was thinking off."
Unfortunately, the results have come out a little random. 'Zigue Zigue' for example is no more than a Fruity Loops squiggle, which any amateur could generate in the comfort of their own bedroom. Gone are the bass, drums and analogue synths which have characterised the bands best work and all that remains are a collection of Morse code style beeps, glitches and glitches. While this change is not necessarily negative, it is carried out in such an arbitrary as to be slightly unbelievable and appears poorly conceived.
Stream 'LVX 4' From 'ABC123' HERE.
Artists in this article: To Rococo Rot
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