Search - Daedelus :: Of Snowdonia

A great, atmospheric album

06/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A few reviews circulating online have implied that the title of the album carries no weight with the actual content. Well, they couldn't have been listening to the same album, because this is one of the most enjoyable and thematic listens I've had in a long time.If you've heard Daedelus before, expect to be pleasantly surprised to find an album more coherent than anything he's put out before. If you haven't, then, well -- it's hard to describe. You could place it as experimental jazz / electronic doodling, but that betrays the cross-genre vibe the whole CD exudes. The best thing about it, and this might seem confusing, is that it all begs to be described.Each song brims with chilly atmosphere as it brings another unique portion of Daedelus' Snowdonia to life. From train stations to mountain workshops brimming with machinery to dim icicle caves and bubble-spewing fountains, there's so much to take in with this album that it immediately begs repeated listens. One strike against it, though, is that with one or two notable exceptions -- Something Bells especially -- a single song from the CD won't suffice. You have to hear the whole thing from start to finish to really appreciate it - which isn't really hard given its 41 minute running time.But the album, while cold, is far from distant. Painted onto the layered samples and synth rhythms are periodic specks of graceful guitar - something that really helps to add life to the mix. There's some unique and heavy sampling in the record as well, and it can't hurt to mention that in addition to being great to think about, there are a few really enjoyable songs.I definitely recommend this to people who are looking for something a few notches above ambient and a few steps below something a bit heavier like RJD2. There's glitch a-plenty here, spread on top of a number of other beats, so fans of Squarepusher and especially Amon Tobin might enjoy this. Ah, whatever. Enough talking, just buy it. As disarming as it may be as first, you'll definitely enjoy it after a listen or two."

Of Snowdonia

Episkonte | Bloomington, Indiana | 07/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What's there to be said about the prolific, eclectic and dynamic Daedelus? I picked this CD up today after ordering it a few weeks ago, and am so happy to see that regardless of how many CDs he brings out a year, he has a consistency in his music. It's rare that two of his CDs have the same sound, but isn't that they both are pleasant listens.
The music has the same quirks as his other stuff does but doesn't seem as reliant on avant garde and jazz as Invention. However, it also sounds different than his lo-fi excursions with Busdriver and Radioinactive on The Weather. It features the talented sampling and dabs into avant garde and glitch as some of his other works but still manages to feel like a totally different album. After listening to the CD it's hard to pin point the style because it's simply all over the board. The catchiest track on the CD is without a doubt "Something Bells" which features a loop that never gets tired. The entire CD is a pleasant, heavenly excursion into dynamic electronic music."