This is the debut album from brothers Mike and Jared Bell of Tempe, Arizona – and a wee gem it is too. Clocking in at a succinct 40 minutes, this is like Tortoise’s younger siblings, or Boards of Canada’s understudies. However, Lymbyc System differ from Tortoise in that they lack the latter’s dubby sensibility, and tend to favour slightly faster tempos. Like Boards of Canada, there’s a feeling of looking back at childhood days, or reflecting on fleeting moments of pleasure and happiness – although without BoC’s melancholy nostalgia. Which is not to take anything away from the Bell boys – this disc is a fresh, tasty summer delight.
With a title like Love Your Abuser, you’d be forgiven for expecting some kind of corporate rock emo feel-my-pain snoozefest – however nothing could be further from the case. On this all-instrumental outing, the tunes are consistently memorable, the beats are light and springy, the sounds plangent and warmly fuzzy. The two brothers between them play various analogue keyboards, electronics and laptop – but get this – brother Mike plays real drums (whatever next?) on here. This really adds a lot to the grooviness of the album. And rather ambitiously for a debut set, themes, sounds and motifs recur over the course of the record – forming in effect a suite of linked pieces.
Love Your Abuser would sound equally great at a backyard barbecue, cruising down the highway, or on the train to work (where people would wonder why’ you’re looking so cheerful).
Ewan Burke
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Comments (3)
Tago-Mago February 27, 2007
don’t know how else to say this… but i’ve been listening to can since 14 (24 now) and i finally made something i think is good enough. and i figured you might dig it.
it’s here: http://tago-mago.net/music.htm
remixes of the streets, marvin gaye, mos def, b-52′s, cocteau twins, more
hope you like it
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The “Eardrums shall fail” blog said:
“Remixing is raised to art status when you give new life to music, any type of music. To see potential in a boring cut, to push the envelope all the way to different galaxies, to let your mind wander where the originary intention left off, all this presumes passion and marquees lighting up over your head as opposed to a mere lightbulb. A writer, most of the cases, is a passionate reader and afterwards a remixer of words. Tago-Mago does that with music. I may not like each and every track but that would be a strange and new feeling anyway. Rarely have I heard a reinvention of music I was, or thought I was, familiar with, in such unexpected ways. His major influence is Can, and the mixes are inspired by a variety of hip hop and electronica artists.”
http://eashfa.wordpress.com/2007/02/24/pusherman-tago-mago/
Ewan February 27, 2007
sounds interesting… will download some tracks over the next few days and email you once I’ve had a listen…
leigh June 29, 2007
i’ve just seen these guys play in tokyo and live they were amazing. closer to the album leaf or american analog set in sound, very pretty but also passionate and intense. heartily recommended.