Review by Flame:
Intricate Maximals is the new release from Sheffield based Audiobulb, featuring 79 minutes of “detailed and sophisticated glitch-groove, IDM and indietronica� from 18 artists on the ‘bulb. Having lived with the album for 6 weeks now it has become a varied and multi-layered work that’s sound tracked my daily life, from commutes into work, being stuck in traffic, lunch breaks with no money to buy food and the making of my own album. And after 6 weeks I still haven’t scratched the surface really. This thing is deep, man.
Bringing you in with the spooky sound of a strange new world at daybreak, Autistici’s Nurture Nature is a powerful ambient piece with spacious drones and distant wolf-howls layered with robot-cricket glitches, birdsong and frog sounds. Multilayered enough to stand up to repeated plays (a useful asset for any album opener) and chilling enough to make you children cry.
Next up is the dark afternoon in the city track, from Prhizzm, continuing the spooky drones and reverby synth lines with awesome metallic glitches and a fat bassline coming in to take this from dreamy ambience to a kind of pervy groove. Tasty.
New talent Calika’s ‘Latticel Work’ come in as the first example of the indietronica the sleevenotes promised, sounding like a cross between a slowed down ‘Richard D James Album’ outtake and a chill cut by Zero 7 – although uch more interesting. Beautifully warm acoustic guitar and bass parts permeated with the required dirty skips and pops, but once again whilst maintaining something like a foot-tapping flow. Play that groovy ‘tronica, white boy.
Following Calika breaking down into what sounds like some playstation shoot-em up comes the longest track on the album, Diagram Of Suburban Chaos’s So Gone. Anything approaching 7 minutes in length has gotta have something special to keep this reviewers attention, and happily it pulls it off. From the weird interplay of vocal ‘stabs’ and the light percussive rhythms that seemingly just loop until you listen harder and realise they probably don’t (or do they?) and the mid tempo pump of the kick to the slow creamy build and subsequent drop into ambience and a rocking two note rhythm, this holds the attention easily for its 6.50 length without being laboured or repetitive. Awesome.
Taavi Tulevs piece continues on a similar path but with darker heavier rhythms, but without being overbearing or hard to take in. Like standing under a giant enormous statue of a small child; warm and friendly yet powerful.
The third-way point of the album marks Cedar AV’s contribution, and this sounds uncannily like the sort of thing Manchester band Doves would be making if they had the balls. Tremolo’d guitars and glitch and white noise and monks singing. Fucking lovely. Good work!
Un Peopled by Marion continues in a more minimal way, with light dustings of low-bit sounds (a modem?) rice crispy beats and a slow burning build to its conclusion, which sound like someone blowing over a bottle. Bottle blowing is cool.
Claudias 1.16 miniature crams glitch, lofi piano sound, crickets, wine glasses echoey synths and probably a dozen other things I’ve missed into its short existence. Small is beautiful for definite. Left me wanting more, for definite.
So comes the closer for side 1 (although this is one of those new fangled compact discs, so its not), is Ter Iara by Unscan. Another dreamy combination of hard cold drum programming (in the good way) and warm summer days pads, closing with what would be one of the most dirty guitar solos of all time, which most likely isn’t even a guitar at all. Reminded me of OK Computer, though that’ll probably cause offence. Its not meant to.
The virtual side 2 opens with Disastrato carrying on what Logan Rock Witch started, if the witch was some kinda lapdancer. Good thrusting music. Id imagine. Another personal favourite of mine.
Effacers cut has the most unpronounceable title of the whole album, and bought to mind a graveyard. Church bells tolling, dripping water drums providing the percussion, and often being left to their own devices when the music has gone, or is at least wandering out of earshot only to return flying some weird insect fighter plane. Nice. Then comes what could be a complete new tune but still in keeping with the foundations the first part built on.
Numero twelvo, by Ochre sounded just like its title ‘Shiverbox’. Banging on its metallic sides sporadically and at times desperately whilst the world rumbles outside and seepins in throught he cracks. A sense of calm returns around the 1.30 mark and propels the song on to its wobbly conclusion. Another ace piece of work.
Room got the misfortune of being unlucky #1 but this crackly brooding minature easily overcomes any triskaidekaphobic concerns. Over too soon but leaving its mark none the less, the beautiful trebley rhythm especially sticks in the mind.
Another Electronic Musician provides Another IDM Glitch piece, entitled ‘Qualm’. Quality, but by this point in the album there’s been a few pieces like this and suffers a little as a consequence. No mistakes, the songs ace but like I say, there’s a lot of similar stuff preceding it. Quality production throughout and what sounds like a hot air balloon being filled around the 4 minute mark.
Build’s track brings a welcome variation with some Rhodes-ey organ, harmonica and slow throbbing bass. The tune ebbs and flows from almost panicked beats back to calm and tranquillity. I used this song as anger management in traffic jams.
Rudolphe Kuffers ‘Question’ sees (or hears, rather) more dreaminess with some cool farty lowfi sounds, a smattering of vocal sounds. Nice but once again suffers from all the preceding music in a similar vein. Once again though, no diss on the song, its good.
Robin Judge’s Fall comes in as penultimate track with sine wave bleeps and bass noises, mini bells playing an almost non-existent rhythm and xylophone (maybe?) in a refreshingly simple and understated piece.
And so onto the closer, entitled ‘Little Tummies (For Sinead)’ by Oti. With reassuring whispers, the sound of relaxing waves crashing on the shore, the subtle throb of whatever it is doing the throbbing and the weird walking-in-mud sounds that close it, a good closer and companion to the first track. Good close.
Conclusions? Awesome production all round, and some real instantly memorable gems. The rest take more work and persistence will reward with some beautiful mood-enhancing music. Good work Audiobulb.
