Following two decades of rapid technological advances which have redefined, amongst many other things, the way music is created, it seems we have moved into somewhat of a plateau phase. While process based music and that made specifically to explore new technologies make for interesting listening, and are vital to musical evolution, it also tends to be music that dates quickest, bound to specific technological moments in time. With current developments, however, generally revolving around the processing power of computers rather than the actual techniques, artists have been given some breathing space to begin fully exploring the new terrains that have been opened up to them. One pleasing, and relatively fertile, area of exploration of this new space, something explored by Kingfisherg on this release, is the infusion of acoustic and electric sound sources into the electronic IDM production techniques developed over the last decade or so.
On Maverick Mouth, Kingfisherg is Belgium’s François Boulanger (he is joined by countryman François Gustin in live mode). He creates a warm, inviting aural world inhabited by a vast array of sonic sources, from Rhodes piano, vibraphones and acoustic drums to an array of synths, subtle distortion drones and glitches. There’s a surprising number of ideas going on and the 14 tracks take many tangents. The common threads are the stuttering rhythms which underpin the majority of tracks, with buzzing synths often falling into beautiful, cyclical chordal progressions which maintain the feeling of forward momentum while the programmed stabs and rolls of static falter and regroup in the background. Each track brings new timbres with which to play and there’s a real sense of fun being had by Kingfisherg. The progression of the pieces as an album are often interrupted, however, by the handful of one minute interludes which bring with them a sense of incompleteness, like sketches thrown in to break things up a bit. This is an effect they succeed in creating, meaning the album as a whole feels more like a series of vignettes than a complete and contained work. There is also a tendency to succumb to one of IDM’s pitfalls of relying on meandering melodies which sometimes struggle to truly engage.
Maverick Mouth isn’t a world changing album, but within its tracks, Kingfisherg demonstrates a creativity which is engaging and points to many post-IDM possibilities.
Adrian Elmer
