A pleasant departure from Stay Down
Paul Ziemba | Houston, TX, USA | 06/12/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Upon listening to the Two Lone Swordsmen's latest LP, Stay Down, I thought that some of the bubbly, rhythmic, underwater-dub elements of several of the up-tempo songs seemed like they were almost ready to move into the more distinct, danceable realm of hip-hop. Sure enough, Two Lone Swordsmen's latest brilliant EP, A Virus With Shoes, balances deliberate and funky hip-hop beats with electro-bleeps, catchy melodies, and very cool samples. The first track, "Brother Foster Through the Phones", leaps out of a murky electronic intro into a rhythmic, electro hip-hop instrumental. It's a fantastic start to an EP that plays off of roughly the same template for each song - which is no bad thing. Many tracks are reminiscent of the hip-hoppy Boards of Canada material, without the retro, 70's AM radio influence. A delightful EP from two talented musicians, A Virus With Shoes is highly recommended, even for the inflated import price (for us the USA)"
Where can I get a hover donkey?
David Kipp | Melbourne, Australia | 06/11/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I could by no means be described as an expert in the field of electronica (Autechre and Boards of Canada representing the boundaries of my explorations in this particular direction); however, I can say one thing with conviction about A Virus With Shoes: in contrast with the murky ultramarine textures of Two Lone Swordsmen's previous record, Stay Down, the former is all about, well, beats. Deep, wholesome beats, to be precise, embellished with samples from the realm of strange and eerie dreams.Where some have described Stay Down as an underwater album, for me A Virus With Shoes is a document of night and claustrophobic childhood fears of the dark: wherein Keith Tenniswood and Andrew Weatherall have created a record not unlike what I imagine to be the electronica equivalent of H. R. Giger's disturbing visions of a world gone mad. Brother Foster Through The Phones opens with a quaint yet somehow disquieting voice declaiming"Hello, Mr Hitchcock!" through a flurry of noise before settling into a languid yet uneasy groove and It Hits, while sampling the rather naff sounds of Electronic, awakes disturbing emotions that I don't recall feeling since my early-childhood fear of the guy who paints numbers on people's backs in Sesame Street. I guess that it doesn't help that I play often this record while falling asleep. A Virus With Shoes is a darkly incandescent work that, while stripped back to the bare essentials, in some ways harks back to the lush grooves of Two Lone Swordsmen's classic The Fifth Mission (Return To The Flightpath Estate) (1996). Who needs a nightlight with A Virus With Shoes on the stereo?"
IT HITS...
David Kipp | 06/27/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Every Two Lone Swordsmen release has been excellent...but for some reason this EP is my fav. They manage to have more of a hip-hop/ambient feel to this, instead of their trademark electro sound. 'A Virus with Shoes' actually sounds like some of Ninja Tune's better moments. Words can't really describe this surreal release, you must hear for your self. Peace"
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1
