More or Less Mono

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One of the great things about writing reviews of new music, particularly electronic music, is that every now and again you get to dream up bizarre new genre titles. "Glitchgazing" is my effort for this year and, although I'm not sure it'll catch on, it seems to fit the growing number of releases fusing the sound sculpturing techniques of electronic composers with the more traditional sounds of guitar and vocal pop that have come my way recently.

It's certainly a word that suits this release from Dub Tractor (one Anders Remmer from Copenhagen). From the opening track, A Second, where the gentle clicking of geiger counter percussion scurries along the top of sustained guitar notes we can hear the marriage of introspective rock and microscopic electronica. The second track, I Don't Care, has an understated but very catchy vocal accompanied by lazily groovy guitar licks and the click and clatter of tiny drums. The alternation, between the first two tracks, of deeper instrumentals and lighter pop pieces is typical of the whole album. Don't be put off by the title, I'm happy to confirm that all of the tracks, including the title track, are in stereo although often it is just the gentle swaying of a guitar tremolo that wafts the sound between the speakers whilst everything else remains rooted to the spot in the centre.

Although the textures are always interesting the music occasionally treads water a little bit too much and I find myself waiting for developments that never come - Leaning and Pep don't really do enough to hold my attention but Wait strikes just the right balance between the instant charm of pop and the subtleties of Remmer's electronic orchestrations. The pace picks up for E47, which is a chatter of syncopated drums and melody, and More or Less Mono, with it's smoothly snaking groove and straight ahead guitar riff - these two tracks are certainly a high point of the album.

50 Hz Guitaris a deep and dubby number featuring acoustic guitar and a swirling mist of noises and percussion but again, although the textures can be breathtaking, otherwise the point is laboured and we end up in a cul-de-sac with music that is going nowhere slowly. Hum (Part 4) which closes the album is all distant guitars and muffled vocals and sums up best the 'shy' pop sound that crops up between instrumentals on this album.

This is not epic music nor is it overly serious (well not for too long anyway) and the wonderful instrumentation and production washes over you leaving a residue of occasional hooks and grooves to remember the experience by. Overall an engaging and worthwhile 38 minutes with some great moments, although it's time probably best spent during the early hours of dawn.