From Adam J Weitzman Sent Fri, Jun 18th 1999, 17:14
From Adam J Weitzman Sent Fri, Jun 18th 1999, 17:14
I've listened to the Kumquat CD, so generously mailed to me for FREE by Mr. Big Kumquat, a couple of times now. The custom mailer announced its arrival in my mailbox very nicely, and the artwork is quite busy. It's an interesting disc. It draws from a lot of classic IDM influences, so it sounds a little dated and simplistic, but it is certainly fun to listen to. Its most prominent feature are the myriad vocal samples, which are at times funny, silly, and perhaps even a tad ominous. There are lots of short melodies on many of these songs, often repeated in bursts. Sometimes it gets a bit cramped, but sometimes it works really well, for instance, the electro-infused "The Windmills The Fairies" had two or three melodies that fit very well together, while the funkier "The Lawn Is Gonna Die" has a couple of really nice progressions that fit the bassline very well. The beats are not terribly complex, so those of you looking for weird time signatures and lots of percussion counterpoint will be disappointed. The instrumentation is all over the map, which makes for some interesting contrasts, but nothing really extraordinary. The beats, on the other hand, seem to draw from a considerably more limited palette; I'd love to see what would happen to these songs if there were more range in this area. All that said, it's a fun listen and I hope to hear more. Six out of ten. Kumquat Kumquat Kumquat Records KQCD01 9 tracks, 40:30 Circle Stars In The Wonderworld Of Science The Windmills The Fairies Proboscis The Lawn Is Gonna Die Gradually Expanding Rutabaga Everyone Is Afraid Of Clowns Kumquat Manifesto First The Drum -- Adam J Weitzman NewsEdge Corporation sleepy people | network down http://www.newsedge.com http://www.newspage.com