E.D.I.E.M.

One in a growing string of compilations by this prolific experimental project, Senmuth seems to be on a roll to see how many releases he can put out, whether be it through making an obsessively great amount of music in a short time, and consequently re-releasing that music through self-released best-of compilations and remix efforts. 'E.D.I.E.M' shows this mentality going to extremes, releasing a massive four disc compilation to showcase some of Senmuth mastermind Valery Av's preferred tracks. Unfortunately, due to the sheer size of this compilation, it is about as inaccessible as the massive discography it seeks to condense.

This seems to be a bit of a defeated purpose, to say the least. Generally (and especially with a discography as vast as Senmuth's) a best-of compilation would be meant to give the listener a dose of the best this artist has to offer in a nice, convenient, and bite-sized portion. With almost three hours of music to consume here, a listener may very well be better off looking at one of Senmuth's real albums, as it would give a much better idea of what a typical Senmuth experience would entail. While the material here is obviously a bit better than the average album, 'E.D.I.E.M' holds nothing original at heart sparing some cryptic album artwork, and therefore (sadly) must be judged based on its merits as a compilation.

While I laud Senmuth for trying to put his massive amount of music into a nicer beginner's guide, it might have been best to take the best tracks from this compilation, and throw it all into an experience that could be taken in less than an hour. Senmuth's first compilation 'Life Of Songs' managed to do this to a limited extent, so I am sure that Valery Av can achieve it again, regardless of the growing size of his catalogue.