scumble on 26/8/2007 at 00:03

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Still listening away. The arranging very good, but I think the sound seems a little squashed, or perhaps dense - the compression might have been overdone. I have to say this is the only thing that I can find to complain about though, as it might sound even better with a lighter touch.

doctorfrog on 30/8/2007 at 21:19

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I have listened to the album and am compiling a mildly irritating mini-review.

doctorfrog on 2/9/2007 at 02:27

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The short: I both enjoyed this album, and also found it enjoyable.

Greetings, Professor Falken - A good intro, warm, bleepy and bloopy, and you're unlikely to alienate the crowd with a WarGames reference.
French Eyes Franchise - use of claps-- intentionally ironic? Maybe I'm trying to be too smart, but the claps spoiled the track for me. Otherwise, straightforward and good.
Function Creep - good leisurely length, ghostly guitar and spacey voice, one of the best tracks on the album.
Souls of Cars - a well-placed rest after the length of the previous track.
Tsar Bomba - Impressions pending.
DMB - Liked this one very much, I'm a sucker for slow intros and outros, and warm electronic haze. However, I found the bass to be too punchy for the rest of the instruments, which kept it from fading properly into the back of my skull, which is what the track really seemed to want to do.
Circle of Signifiers - Impressions pending.
Milkshake - Impressions pending.
Target City - Impressions pending, but I like it.
Sarcophagus - By the end of Target City, I was beginning to feel a limitation in the palette of sounds. However, this track changed my mind. Maybe it's the title, but I was reminded of the scene in Call of Cthulhu in which the mariners investigate the alien ruin that has reared up from the ocean, and get trapped both visually and physically in the improbable curves and corners of the horrifying architecture. It's a silly basis to rate a piece of music, but because of this, I like this track a lot, nearly moreso than DMB. The electronic haze of Boards of Canada, with an undercurrent of unease that reminds me of Angelo Badalamenti. My favorite track.
Mancuso Dallas - After Sarcophagus, which clocks in at over ten minutes, you needed a warm down, and this is it.

Overall - This is a solid album of good music that I tend to go for, and the fact that you're giving it away makes it even sweeter. I love it! I'm also terribly biased, but fuck it. There are a few touches with the percussion and bass that I didn't care for, and you're clearly getting your money's worth out of the voice distortion technology, but these do not detract enough from the enjoyment to keep it out of my rotation. Mostly I just have to say, thanks for sharing!

additional - I definitely appreciate the use of variable rate encoding. It would seem to be a no-brainer for balancing quality and filesize, but not everybody does it.
Make a bit better use of mp3 metadata in the future. Add the album artwork. Hell, I wouldn't mind a different cover for each track. If you like, put in a word or two about the track or the album, so we're not listening in a vacuum (unless, of course, that's a wanted effect).

Scots Taffer on 3/9/2007 at 09:33

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The significant influence of Boards of Canada is coming across, but this is very individual and not some ham-fisted pastiche. This is the first electronica I've listen to in a while and yet I've listened to this a few times now. What I find especially comforting in the wash of ambience is the similar atmosphere created by synth-infused 80s movie soundtracks, like Manhunter, Blade Runner-era Vangelis and some of Badalamenti's work. Very restrained and professional, well done, Bob.

Ulukai on 3/9/2007 at 23:01

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Some thoughts on my favourite tracks.

#01 Greetings, Professor Falken - Not a favourite but, have to ask - did you resample the WOPR?

#03 Function Creep - Possibly my favourite track of all, closely followed by Target City. Haunting vocals combinded with a myriad of sound blending in and out in the background just beg your undivided attention. (What. Not intentionally written to sound like the suspect music review section in the Guardian, honest)

#05 Tsar Bomba - I'm a big fan of what you could call ambient DnB anyway, and this falls pretty much into that catergory.

#06 dmb - Love the way it builds up slowly and then falls away again. Elements of it reminded me of The Jesus And Mary Chain's Just Like Honey, which was on the Lost In Translation soundtrack iirc.

#10 Target City - Now that Scots has put his finger on it, this reminded me of Blade Runner a little too (not a bad thing). Enjoyable to let it wash over you in a quiet room. I can't really make out what the voices are saying, though.