I have to confess, I was a little daunted when I put this CD in my player and pressed play. Right from the outset, I was blasted by overdriven, lo-fi chiptronica the likes of which I haven’t heard much in the last decade. And the BPMs are definitely high. What was daunting was hearing these first few seconds and seeing the track listing – an album of 13 tracks of this stuff, in (in)glorious mono, what’s more, was not something I was looking forward to.
But then things began to happen. As in, a track would end after 40 seconds and a new one would begin. Another 40 seconds, another new track. And that’s how it goes. 9 minutes later and all 13 tracks are over. Back in the 90s kids on speed listening to dance music in dark caverns were thought to be playing out Western culture’s ADD. The Nearly actually are playing it out. The brevity is probably the most arresting feature. But, once you get your head around this, there are plenty of other brief pleasures to be found. Like ‘Discolonic’ opening up the music on the ‘album’ with a hyperspeed tribute to popular music’s only kick drum hook – New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’. This takes on greater significance on looking over the El Perro Rojo Records’ website, where New Order references abound.
Not that anything else actually sounds like New Order here. This is 90s rave stripped to the bare essentials. Gabba tempos and dry distortion. Monophonic chip synth sounds pushed colliding head on with overdrive units. But New Order comes back in via ‘Penetration’ ripping off ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’s intro beat. Other references sneak out and I find myself playing spot-the-drum-beat. ‘Gothic Port-A-Loo’ steals it’s drum riff from. NIN’s ‘Closer’. I’m left with a vague suspicion that perhaps every track is ripping off something, even if I’m missing the references.
So, as it turns out, something that I’d started out feeling daunted by ended up entertaining me no end. Rather than fast-forwarding to the end, the repeat button was reached for. Who’d have thought that trashy ADD could be so engaging, so evocative?
Adrian Elmer
