Impur - Fred Frith

Advantages: Wonderfully inventive, often moving music from the master
Disadvantages: A few wrong moments

...; ambient, droning synthesizers much like early Frippian soundscapes (or more rightly Frippertronics) float over the surface of the music; beneath which occasion thuds of bass and Fred Frith’s treated guitar. It is a collection of sounds and rhythms woven together seamlessly into a whole piece of music that admittedly is not jump up and dance music. This is ambient, carefully intelligent music. It really forces you to interact with what you’re listening to; you have to listen out for the nuances. Perhaps this is something of a weakness as if you don’t it could seem a little like a mess of sounds. I imagine Energy Fools the Magician annoying or just plain boring some people, but really it sounds in many ways quite mysterious and enigmatic. But then fades in the glorious, definitely pop-inspired King’s Lead Hat (an anagram of Talking Heads... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Just as good as 'Thunder and Consolation'
Disadvantages: Not long enough!!!

...After looking through the music section of this website, i thought it my duty to write a review of New Model Army's 'Impurity' Album. New Model Army may mistakenly be placed within the 'goth' section of music. However, they are not as 'dark' as the Sisters of Mercy and similar acts and are slightly reminiscent of The Mission with undertones of The Levellers. This album is fantastic!!!! I kid you not everyone, after such a good album as 'Thunder and Consolation', New Model Army had a reputation to live up to. As with most bands that release a really good album, the next seems to have a weight round its neck and a mountain to climb to even compare. With 'Impurity' all I can say is that it is better. There is a lot more contrast in the music and there are some truly beautiful tunes (check out 'Space', 'Purity', 'Marrakesh' and 'Vanity... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Eno is ever creative
Disadvantages: but not as potent as usual.

...Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) is my last review of Eno’s 70s (near) Pop work, a form he would pretty much abandon after Before and After Science, in favour of more experimental work and explorations as pop-producer (Talking Heads, U2 etc.). His second solo album, Eno had the problematic necessity of somehow following up the brilliance of Here Come the Warm Jets, in a meaningful way. And did he do it. To be honest no, but then Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) isn’t quite the same sort of album. It has a little more continuity, being something of a collaboration with Roxy Music (the band Eno had recently left) guitarist Phil Manzanera and as I utter ad infinitum, Manzanera cannot reach the musical heights of a Fripp or a Fred Frith. But this is not to say that Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) is in any way a bad album (I... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful