psycho
New Member
SUNDAY BUSINESS POST June 7, 2009
Irish electronica has down the years tended to suffer from the same basic lack of credibility as Italian hip-hop and German reggae (a hangover from the total domination of our music scene by leather-trousered rock since U2 became huge in the mid-1980s). Certainly, you’d be hard pushed to think of more than a handful of worthwhile records within the genre to come out of this country. Well, here’s one – and it’s not merely worthwhile, but among the most impressive releases of the year so far, Irish or otherwise.
Steeped in oozingly plangent Moog, Mellotron and Vox organs, Return Of The Tiny Magnetic Pets takes its cues from mid-period Kraftwerk, the serene melancholia of Saint Etienne and the deceptively placid instrumentals on side two of David Bowie’s Low (opening track Tempelhof is another nod to Bowie’s Berlin period, named after the city’s airport). Cosmodrome is a sublime piece of fantastically gooey synth-splurge, while the gentle metronomic ticking and chocolate-box melody of A Faraway Sea call to mind Air circa Moon Safari.
The duo have their darker moments, such as the Portishead-meets-Spiritualized drone of Spaced, but the vast majority of the record is suffused in an air of inexorable, pulsing tranquility. It’s a great listen, and hopefully far from being a one-off.
4 Stars
– Jonathan O’Brien
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EVENING ECHO REVIEW June 4, 2009
They are back and they are as psychedeliced-out as ever with this experimental album laden with killer sounds and retro arrangements. If there is one gripe it’s this – the summer’s here and we are all beginning to wind down and de-stress and like all those who blazed the electronica path before them, this takes a bit of time and a bit of brain-engaging to really get into. But with nods to legends such as Air, Stereolab, Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk and Goldfrapp, it’s one of those albums you just got to keep playing once you get a feel for it. The duo from France, Air have done much to keep the spirit of the genre alive. So if the sunny weather goes away don’t worry, you can immerse yourself in this one.
5 Stars
=================================
The album is available from Road,City Discs & Spindizzy.
You can also buy it direct from Psychonavigation : http://www.psychonavigation.com/tinymagneticpets.html
More on the band : http://www.myspace.com/tinymagneticpets
Irish electronica has down the years tended to suffer from the same basic lack of credibility as Italian hip-hop and German reggae (a hangover from the total domination of our music scene by leather-trousered rock since U2 became huge in the mid-1980s). Certainly, you’d be hard pushed to think of more than a handful of worthwhile records within the genre to come out of this country. Well, here’s one – and it’s not merely worthwhile, but among the most impressive releases of the year so far, Irish or otherwise.
Steeped in oozingly plangent Moog, Mellotron and Vox organs, Return Of The Tiny Magnetic Pets takes its cues from mid-period Kraftwerk, the serene melancholia of Saint Etienne and the deceptively placid instrumentals on side two of David Bowie’s Low (opening track Tempelhof is another nod to Bowie’s Berlin period, named after the city’s airport). Cosmodrome is a sublime piece of fantastically gooey synth-splurge, while the gentle metronomic ticking and chocolate-box melody of A Faraway Sea call to mind Air circa Moon Safari.
The duo have their darker moments, such as the Portishead-meets-Spiritualized drone of Spaced, but the vast majority of the record is suffused in an air of inexorable, pulsing tranquility. It’s a great listen, and hopefully far from being a one-off.
4 Stars
– Jonathan O’Brien
==============================
EVENING ECHO REVIEW June 4, 2009
They are back and they are as psychedeliced-out as ever with this experimental album laden with killer sounds and retro arrangements. If there is one gripe it’s this – the summer’s here and we are all beginning to wind down and de-stress and like all those who blazed the electronica path before them, this takes a bit of time and a bit of brain-engaging to really get into. But with nods to legends such as Air, Stereolab, Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk and Goldfrapp, it’s one of those albums you just got to keep playing once you get a feel for it. The duo from France, Air have done much to keep the spirit of the genre alive. So if the sunny weather goes away don’t worry, you can immerse yourself in this one.
5 Stars
=================================
The album is available from Road,City Discs & Spindizzy.
You can also buy it direct from Psychonavigation : http://www.psychonavigation.com/tinymagneticpets.html
More on the band : http://www.myspace.com/tinymagneticpets