Chiff-Chaffs & Willow Warblers
a review by Erkki Luuk ofrelease format Chiff-Chaffs & Willow Warblers by Minotaur Shock (melo009cd)
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In the oft so stereotyped and paragon-ridden world of electronic music, Minotaur Shock (Englishman David Edwards) seems to be one of those who have ventured their own way. 'Chiff-Chaffs & Willow Warblers' is hard to narrow down to any particular school or genre, but for cases like these the term 'electronica' should do the job. Luckily for the listener, it's electronica naive and pure, unspoiled by generic predictability. This is as much due to the liberal rhythm and composition schemes (without the obvious stereotypes of free jazz/improvisation) as to the tasteful array of tracks, notable for both their stylistic and emotional merit. For instance: 'Chance Anthem' (a potential hit in night time electronica transmissions), 'Three Magpies' (a 'magickal' bell loop on erratic rhythm flow), 'There is a dog' (a short, spacious and jaggedly frail piece), 'Out of the Hot' (nice melody - this applies to the other tracks mentioned too), 'The Range' (exciting composition and rhythm section). At times naive, then sophisticated and refined, Minotaur Shock's music has an almost tangibly soft and subtle aura.
Posted by Erkki Luuk at 14:11, 28 Aug 2002