The water cycles of this full-length from Motoro Faam have a warm, chunky, valve-like sound to them. At once, the group establishes a full throttle assault, using this style to build pieces of some dexterity and playful noodling. This does, on occasion, make for some invigorating listening. “And Surface Runoff” features exuberant piano and sting arrangements that spiral upwards against languid bleeps that slowly begin to burn out like shorting fuses. Later, the energy is maintained with selections in which the glittering electronics all but drop out and snail-like piano and violin drift to the fore.
To the albums detriment, though, a good many anthemic dirges, replete with driving piano lines and hefty electronic beats, ultimately push portions of this work into gaudy, trinket-like streams. “And Condensation”, for one, sounds like the sputtering of an over-excited video game while others get bogged down in playing on odd combinations or otherwise trying to do too much.
Certain creative peaks are here to be found – certain moments of hypnotic spiral stretching across imaginary horizons – but at the moment, they rest in the cracks and crevices. Only now and again do the elements on display manage to lock, leaving much of the album to dwell in rather showy, dizzying realms.
Max Schaefer
