Search - Mira Calix :: Prickle

A great intro to mira calix

Robert L. Sparks | From Ultraworld (near vegas) | 01/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first track of this is probably the best 18 mins of mira's music you can find period. its multiple parts mixed together to produce this stunning result. the meat of the song ( I belive its giggle and hide) is so beautiful the chords haunt you. its something you definitly must own if your a fan of strange ambient music .."

Fails to "Prickle"

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 07/02/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"A twenty-minute experimental song is a risky move -- exactly how many minutes can you experiment before the audience gets up to find a snack? Alas, Mira Calix goes way over the mark with the "Prickle" EP, a tiresome mix of techno and glitchpop.



The first song is the sprawling, almost nineteen-minute "Miliaria," which begins with a faint crackling noise that slowly segues into... more crackling noises. And a faint but annoying buzz, mild splutters, and the sounds of instruments being tuned. It sounds like Calix left the mike on before she was actually ready to play.



Thankfully the crackling subsides into a soft mix of strings and piano, gentle electronic beats and Calix's pretty singing. Then the beats and instruments die away, leaving only an ambient sweep and nature sounds. The meandering song briefly segues into jungle drums, then goes back to white noise, Rhodes and crickets chirping.



Finally there's "Skin With Me (Andrea Parker Remix)," which feels a little like "Miliaria" redux -- it sounds like the bones of the longer song were crunched down into a smaller play time. So it's substantially less tedious, especially with the creepy ambient sounds. Unfortunately, it's saddled with a very repetitive beat.



Ambient glitchpop is probably something that shouldn't exist -- or if it should, it shouldn't be done this way. Calix seems to have strung together all the cool sounds she could find, such as forest chatter, rushing brooks, bugs and instrument tuning. But they seem to be scattered all around, as if she weren't sure where to put them.



"Prickle" implies a sensation. But there's no sensation to be found in Mira Calix's EP, except for some genuinely pretty ambient sweeps."

A solid 18 minute song, if not an epic

The Pitiful Anonymous | the Acres of Skin | 07/05/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a fan of Mira Calix for a while now. Generally, she makes up for her lack of production prowess and the overall simplicity of her music through sheer wild compositional creativity, integrating a tapestry of synths, field recordings and vocals into an incredibly unique sound. This music could sometimes be called "ambient", but it's far from background music, and wastes no time. "Prickle" is indeed a good example of this sound, although, due to its focused nature, it doesn't stray far from its theme. It's definitely on the mellower side of Mira Calix's output.



The main 18 minute piece has 4 sections, and a processed, watery string synth leads for most of it. Only the second section has a prominent rhythm, and even that consists only of the usual Mira Calix kick and snare combo. Where the piece shines is in its emotion, the emotion of the melodies themselves... Hopeful, vulnerable, reflective, worrying, comforting all at once. Worth many listens. Dreamy, haunting vocals take the background. No words are distinguishable. The later sections utilize a lot of pleasant hissing and steam-like sounds while resonant wind instrument tones state a meditative theme. The whole thing is full of great ambient sound, and despite the comments of one reviewer, I believe it meshes wonderfully into a whole. It may not make me feel as if I'm in any place in particular, but it certainly is evocative in its special way, and fits the feeling of the melodic and rhythmic elements.



The song doesn't feel like an epic, despite being 18 minutes. There's a bit of an emotional climax at the end, but the time before it could hardly be called a 'build up'.



Andrea Parker's mix of "Skin With Me" is a welcome change of pace. Rather than the contemplative wash of ambience and string synths of the previous 18 minutes, we're treated to a sleazier, slower, more spaced out version of the frantic and dark original track from Mira Calix's first album, "One on One". Someone called this beat 'repetitive', but I firmly believe that's the point. Lose yourself in the hypnotic bass tones, sampling and vintage drum machines... This one grooves hard. This track alone made me check out Andrea Parker.



In conclusion, "Prickle" contains two great, listenable pieces. For the prices its being offered here on Amazon, it shouldn't be missed. However, it doesn't represent everything Mira Calix has to offer. I recommend her latest full length, "Eyes Set Against the Sun", which is an improvement in every way. Still, "Prickle" is an admirable effort. 4 stars."