Expert Knob Twiddlers - Two Players!
TastyBabySyndrome | "Daddy Dagon's Daycare" - Proud Sponsor of the Lit | 01/25/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Making sound sculptures with Mike and Rich is always an interesting experience because you never know what'll happen. Sometimes they come out with something utterly dark and introspective, and sometimes they make something that sounds like the soundtrack to a feel-good life. It all varies from album to album, from electronic beat to electronic beat, but almost all of does have one common ground. It's interesting to follow along with because they, talented crafters sonically landscaping, put together some tasty vices. Rephlex had some fun stuff in it, working somewhat as a comedy routine on the outside and good stuff on the inside, and I actually like listening to it when I'm walking outside or when I'm sitting around and I'm in the "music, no vocals" kinda mindset. As far tracks go, there's some pretty good stuff here. "Mr. Frosty" is nice, a little drum and bass, a calm beat, and something that's pretty nice to hear. While it may not mean something to everyone, it sounds a lot like the theme song to the videogame Sim City 2000 and that brings back some fun memories. "Jelly Fish" reminds me of a flashback to the past combined with electronic music of the present, almost capsulating a sound I'd lost in the "way back when." It has the sound that screams "greasers" and "biker flicks" to me, only there are some rather odd loops topping that as well. "Eggy Toast" started out a little on the redundant side, but it finished out pretty nicely. It does have a few noises I really don't care for that much in it, but some of the odd ways some of the instrumentation layers within it makes it worth listening to. "Reg" is actually a catchy piece of work I catch myself humming along to quite often, with the little vocal sample put into it making a strange beat that the music uses as just another loop and starts building around. "Vodka" is a little more paced that a lot of the other songs on the album, reminding me somewhat of a slower paced EBM anthem attempting to play out before it adds in some of the stranger keyboards in those electronic skies. It has a really nice build, too, and I've always liked that about the song - not to mention the bleeping sounds that eventually come and whisk me away in them. I love beeping sounds. "Winner Takes All" works along the same lines as "Mr. Frosty" did, the two reminding me of one another and of Sim City whenever I hear them. "Winner Takes All" has some stuff in it that makes it stand out from the former, however, and that is again the layering that comes at the end of the track. "Giant Deflating Football," as a name, gives me imagery with the song and actually makes me laugh when I hear it. It has a building loop with a band playing in the distance, but something that sounds like air being pumped into an object that builds over time. Yeah, I can see where the title comes from. "Upright Kangaroo" also has a nice feel to it at first, and I liked what it did in the beginning. It sounds a lot like music you could snap your fingers to, at first, until certain belching sounds seem to have worked their way into the song cycle. "The Sound of Beady Eyes" is actually one of the reasons I picked up the album, because the beat it has mingled quite nicely with going out and doing something. I thought the build was done really nicely, that it all had a videogame soundtrack appeal it to, and yet was strangely easy to zone into. And, closing it out, is the slowly escalating "Bu Bu Bu Ba," with some clips in it that close this in a way that doesn't seem reminiscent of the rest of the album. I liked the song, truth be told, but it seemed to close out the album on a low beat when the rest of it had been so bouncy. This album is, again, a pretty nice piece of work, but only if you like what the band likes to do and if you are in the mood for it. You have to keep in mind that they aren't about laying down vocals on the tracks and they aren't about pleasing an audience with imagery. They instead make little electronic waterfalls to bath your mind in, letting you feel whatever emotion they think you should feel this time out. Rephlex was one of those albums that did a nice combo on the "mellow" and yet" bouncy" side of the spectrum, simply making me feel good when I'm in the mood to listen to it. So, it gets a nice 4.0 - 4.5 "thumbs up" from me as an overall piece and as portions of the entire work."
Two awesome artists come up with a just average album.
Lewis Green | 04/10/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The problem here is, Mike Paradinas or Richard D James didnt want to "take control" when making this album. Neither of the duo didnt "take lead" and as a result, there arn't really any memorable tracks, apart from possibly "vodka". These two electronic legends are both amazing, and have both produced numerous classic albums, so it is a bit of a dissapointment, they simply didnt live up to their names. I heard a rumour that this "album" was made in only a weekend when they were both wasted, believe me it sounds like it. Oh, and as for 'technos first comedy album' I didnt laugh once. Still, I love both the artists, so it looks nice with my other album on my CD rack!"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1