Loudspeaker Speaker

"Recorded Sound" CD

Broken Twilight

Genre: electronic, IDM, techno

July 1, 2009

From the realms of leftfield techno comes Loudspeaker Speaker's Recorded Sound, a strange and strangely addictive electronic release. Last I heard from Mr. Speaker, he was paired up with Clearly Human for an outstanding dub release that ranked among 2008's top albums. But here the focus is on somewhat experimental IDM, garnished with tricky rhythms, unusual sonic textures, and disjointed, AFX-inspired melodies. It's a tough sound to describe, but good music often transcends summarization.

Case in point: the dubby bass and 8-bit melodies of opener "Hump Like One Leg's Shorter," which is startlingly awkward in form yet still a terrific listen. More 8-bit informed deliciousness comes from "Super Melody," while "Shimmer Step" is all uppity, in-your-face big beats and blaring synths. And then there's the ambient-informed, glitchy prettiness of "Mind of Bryan" and "To Tokyo." Stylistically speaking, Recorded Sound is a far cry from the Clearly Human collaboration, but you won't hear me complaining. Grab both discs and let the goodness seep in.

loudspeaker speaker's myspace

84%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 11 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2009]