Editorial Reviews Music Review:
Music Review
Via Crucis / Repons Du Vendredi Saint
Music: Novo Millennium [Import]
World of Techno, Vol. 2 [Import]
Amazon.com
Packed with catchy melodic content and frisky programmed rhythms, Console's American debut full-length will fill your stereo with digitized pleasure. Console is the electronica side project of Martin Gretschmann, keyboardist and programmer for German postrockers Notwist. Rocket's soundstuff brings to mind a less wacky version of Mu-Ziq or a muted variation of Mouse on Mars. Even on the CD's more abstract tracks, irresistible riffs and perky patterns abound. "Dolphin Dos" is a timbral tweakfest, a bouncy celebration of digital dirt, soft tones, and nervous rhythms. "Bee Queen" might be a slo-mo, impressionistic portrait of an insect hive's activity. When the beats drop out, it's as if you're listening to the sonic equivalent of a lovely, hypnotizing camera move. This is one of those enjoyable albums that works familiar turf but manages to carve out its own fun-filled patch. --Fred Cisterna