Search - Imitation Electric Piano :: Imitation Electric Piano Ep

Great music, more tracks please!

entropy21 | New York, New York | 06/21/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Simply put, Simon Johns' "side project" EP "Imitation Electric Piano" is excellent but seems to stop just when it ignites. In other words, listening to this project seems like enjoying what should've been a full album. In the recording world, there are albums of singles and albums that aim at generating a sense of the work across the whole recording. What's odd about this excellent text, I call it this because it seems so open-ended, is that the selection prepares to be an extremely excellent album of the second sort (whole album work), but stops - exactly on the track in which it's really starting to cook. So "Imitation Electric Piano" feels like the first act, or the warm up as it were, to some imaginary full album. In this sense, I'm not simply saying this is your usual promotional EP - this is serious "indie" work that feels incomplete. For those of you who are fans of Stereolab, Tortoise, the High Llamas or Chicago Underground Duo - this EP is a must. It plays ecstatically throughout, during every post-rock/jazz/lo-fi fusion tick of the metronome - however abbreviated.Definitely check it out."

Instrumental Stereolab, lounge-jazz style

John William Whitehead | Ann Arbor, MI | 05/08/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This has many of the same musical elements as Stereolab, minus the vocals and with a jazzier feel. The bass lines are prominent, bouncey, and very fuzzy. The drums are excellent, adding a jazzy, frenetic quality to the music, mostly cymbal work. The other main instruments are guitar (playing short riffs, again similar to a Stereolab song), keyboard, and occasionally trumpet. The enveloping sound and rhythm are the greatest parts of this album, with many of the songs being in interesting time signatures. Each track has a peaceful yet fast paced, trance-inducing groove. Never harsh, extremely well produced music. All tracks are excellent, with my favorites being #2 and #5. In seven words: fun, intelligent, whimsical, like Stereolab doing jazz."

Jazzy electronica

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 10/08/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Imagine the fantastic indie group Stereolab, played in a smoky jazz lounge. That gives you a fair idea of what "Imitation Electric Piano EP" is like. Bouncy, jazzy, catchy and faintly fuzzy, this leaves you wanting more.Perhaps the biggest problem with "Imitation Electric Piano" is that it ends. Well, I could say that about any good album. But the problem with "Imitation Electric Piano" is that it fails to satisfy, leaving the listener wanting more right away. The range of "Imitation" is shown with tingly electronica rock like "Five Separate Whooshes," the slightly folky "Day of the Dinge," and shimmery jazz like "Progressive Rock."Cymbals and drums form the backdrop of the electronic music (which sounds a little like a doorbell sometimes). Fuzzy bass lines and brief guitar riffs are excellent, and the trumpet adds to the jazz atmosphere. Overall, the effect is upbeat, fast, quirky and cheery.Whimsical, entertaining and very catchy, "Imitation Electric Piano" is something not to be missed for fans of Stereolab, Broadcast and other such indie-rock bands."