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Mono's Formica Blues lives up to its naine Anyone who track of Expectations fame, "Life in the tones of the music. "" saw the more Mono." For the most part, the songs opens up with a narrative of sorts, prominent movies convey escape, isolation and similarly introducing a complex though not of the recent subdued themes. De Mare's haunting, thoroughly developed relationship. holiday season has intriguingly innocent vocals add to this Similarly, "Penguin Freud," the already feel, though they occasionally become 's ninth track, suggests a experienced the hidden by complex mixings of complex psychological dilemma with stylings of the UK- electrical and traditional the lines "no direction I need based band Mono. instrumentation. protection I all the future's past with Their new debut On the whole, though, the album's me I feel rejection/ isolation/ still in album, Formica ambience is created primarily by its silence want to be, lonely be I Formica Blues Blues, boasts the music with minimal and often beautifully stupid/ nothing but track used in the repetitious use of lyrics. For instance, a fantasy, can't you see/ feel deception, Great Expectations track ambiguously titled "Playboys" lost direction/ like never before." This succeeds as consist mainly of the lines "I survive an ambiance ad campaign piece also succeeds in mixing the piece, recently saturating despite you/'cause I lifted you." Here complex musical elements in a manner skillfully television and the synthesized instrumentation contributing to the words themselves. manipulating cinema screens becomes annoyingly redundant over Nearly every track proves endurable diverse alike. Hopefully the 6:41 minute running time. In "Hello for at least one listening and many sounds and this incessant Cleveland!" however, an entirely warrant the attention of successive lyrics to presence hasn't instrumental piece, the result is almost samplings. In particular, tracks which create a jaded audiences to completely different. With the use of successfully blend traditional and subdued, Mono's uniquely traditional and modern instruments as· electronic instruments make an pensive mood well as several samplings reminiscent impression. Ultimately, this album in its appealing sound. of Mission: Impossible or the Twilight listeners. Much of the succeeds as an ambience piece, work of vocalist Zone, "Cleveland" progresses through skillfully manipulating diverse sounds Siobhan De Mare variations suggestive of images from and lyrics to create a subdued, pensive and producer I Peter and the Wolf to Psycho or the X- mood in its listeners. arranger Martin Files to Beck. Virgo imitates the Despite the primary emphasis on h Marcelle Rousseau, soundtrack quality instrumentation, some of the lyrics of their opening present interesting themes paralleling features editor N e-w York conversations turn into albuin

Over the years, David Holmes has man, it's the best place in the world, Yet" (named after some graffiti Holmes picked up a reputation as having a anything you want is here."). It then found) is a addictive blend of , cinematic flair, but he never had the rushes straight into "My Mate Paul," violins, and drums. opportunity to score a soundtrack for an interesting but slightly repetitive Overall, Lets Get Killed is a great an actual movie. Rather than give up, drum and bass tune. Following it is the work and easy to recommend. It has Holmes decided to create his own. Two title track "Lets Get Killed," another enough innovation to keep techno fans years ago, he left his hometown of drum and bass piece. The next track, happy while at the same time having a passing interest in Bristol in Britain and took a trip to New "Gritty Shaker," features the rambling enough hooks to keep the rest of us techno should York City. Armed with a portable DAT of a street hustler psychic backed by interested. David Holmes' music, definitely recorder and a notepad, he proceeded trippy techno. "Radio 7," is Holmes' though sometimes long. ("Lets Get check out this to take down everything: graffiti, funky extended rendition of the classic Killed" clocks in at seven and a half random conversations, impromptu James Bond theme ("if you can get a minutes) isn't plagued with the same interviews, road noises and whatever gun, shoot thirty people, walk out, kind of repetitiveness that bothers else he could get to. One year later, he blow it up, not get a piece of dirt on other techno artists, making it both released Lets Get Killed, practically a you E you is the sh**" in the immortal possible and enjoyable to listen to the soundtrack to his trip. It's an odd but words of one New Yorker). "Slasher's songs all the way through. Anyone inspired fusion of New York sound Revenge" is an aptly named blues- with a passing interest in techno bites with different flavors of techno. tinged, bass-heavy piece. "Caddell should definitely check out this album. The album opens up with "Listen," a Returns" is a spacey futuristic piece gritty and honest overview of what that begins with a person's account of ,, Anand Thakur, New York is, at least in the mind of one his drug addiction. The last piece of the contributing writer · of its citizens ("New York is the bomb music on the album, "Don't Die Just

arcade ｦ ･ ｢ ｲ ｾ ｡ ｲ ｹ 20, 1998 15