ERALDO BERNOCCHI & HAROLD BUDD: MUSIC FOR "FRAGMENTS FROM THE INSIDE"

This album is probably not what you'd expect as something for an exhibit in an Italian contemporary art center, but it is good nonetheless. Music for "Fragments from the Inside" starts off in a deceptive manner with all of "Fragment One" being the trademark aimless ambient piano method that sincerely bores me to tears almost every time he's done it on previous records. Fortunately, though, it's done quite well as a long introduction before "Fragment Two" blasts off with Berlin school-type groaning and bubbling analog synths before segueing into beat-oriented ambient acid techno with a repetitive yet soothing bass line comparable to the music of Boards of Canada and Biosphere's first two albums -- from this point it is obvious that this is not just another boring ol' Harold Budd album where he treads the same path as always.

From the second track onward, each track is made up of the soothing piano, groaning Berlin school-style synths, occasionally acoustic/ethnic percussion, and various techno- related electronic effects, making this album as a whole somewhat similar to the modern nu-jazz pianist Bugge Wesseltoft's New Conception of Jazz series/group. Harold Budd has proved himself to be a good collaborator before, on albums such as Glyph, and he continues showing his teamwork-oriented skill on this album as well, with flying colors. Still, as to be expected from this artist, Music for "Fragments from the Inside" is a very laid back album and there are no explicit dance numbers to be found, and no rowdy jams, though the energy present is still obvious upon first listen -- this is what I'd like to call "techno for adults".

Something that Harold Budd is usually bad at on his own -- making tracks stand out as individuals -- is thankfully not a problem here. Each track on this album actually sounds like a song and is easily distinguishable from the others. Each track has its own identity while still conforming to an overall, album-wide style that guarantees a coherent end product.

Music for "Fragments from the Inside" is quite different from the majority of Harold Budd's albums, which might be a turnoff to some people. However, I do think he's very good at combining his trademark style with the sounds of more modern electronic music, and anyone who is a fan of Glyph will most likely find some enjoyment in this album as well. Also, if there were a Harold Budd album that I'd recommend to fans of Boards of Canada, Bugge Wesseltoft, and early Biosphere, then this would be it.