PENGUIN CAFE

I am not an advanced connoisseur of PCO, and this album is my first and only contact with PC this far, but it seems to me this album comes very close in sound and spirit to the music of PCO. If I was told that it actually was a PCO album, I would't have a clear reason to question it. Perhaps the piano, Arthur's main instrument, dominates the music more. Other featured instruments include cello, viola, violin, harmonium, ukelele, etc. Percussion is central on some pieces. Just like PCO, this is instrumental, acoustically oriented, rather calm, unoffensive and quietly intelligent music combining elements of classical chamber music, chamber jazz, minimalism, World Music and ambient. Maybe the later PC albums are easier to see as post/math-rock?

An interesting feature here is Arthur's brief introducing text for each piece. They get pretty technical, speaking about phrase-ends, bar structures, differing meters such as 5/4 and 10/8, sequences, C minors, etc. Nevertheless, they give a useful view to the music and the ideas behind it. 'That, Not That' is a piano and cello duet reminding me of Michael Nyman's film music. On the next, rhythmically very complex piece Kathryn Tickell's Northumbrian pipes carry the theme intoduced by a melodica. The sharp minimalism approaches that of Philip Glass. On a couple of following tracks there are traces of African music.

The moody and slow-paced piano & cello piece 'Finland' is not about my home country but about a dying dog of that name, "but I think over the years it has come to be more about loss in general". One track is inspired by the Fibonacci sequence of numbers. All in all, this calm-natured album is not difficult to listen to, but it's not giving me (emotionally) very deep impressions either. Maybe because of that I'm not tempted to rate it higher than 3,5 stars, but I'll round it up for the high level of sophistication and for the supplementary texts. Recommended to fans of PCO and listeners of modern chamber music.

From the first shot "Ricercar" we are drenched in their repetitive hallucinogenic psychedelia seasoned with post-rock- ish violin-oriented dissonance. Light-touched and crispy percussion sounds quite simple but pleasant for us. Another comfort is flexible piano playing. Delightful departure really. "Cantorum", on the contrary, has somewhat depressive, serious flavour all around. The whole atmosphere is not heavy but energetic enough to vibrate our inner mind. "Control 1 (Interlude)", one of my favourite stuffs actually, is quiet and monotonous basically. Simultaneously this interlude involves massive beauty and fragility to infiltrate our stomach. Quivering violin sounds work incredibly.

Their homage "Franz Schubert'' possesses tiny, soft and smooth texture that reminds us of the same vein of Schubert's piano sonatas (I love D960 full of safe and sound). Their sound simplicity should be pretty suggestive. In the shortest track "Half Certainty" delicate melodica sounds under percussive xylophone attraction are acceptable and positive. "Protection" kinda dramatic chamber pop would be veiled in complicated melody lines and quirky sound cracks potentialized by the violin. The combination sounds a bit mysterious indeed.

Theatrical post rock "Rescue" should be called as another masterpiece for them. They never lose understandable vision even on the track but utilize serious atmosphere and mystically fascinating distortion fully all over.. The last phase filled with sincere, precise dectet crystals is very impressive and moving. In "Now Nothing (Rock Music)" they might want to say rock is hibernated I guess ... as if the title would mention rock has no future ... wondering why this creation sounds sorrowful. The last lyrical epilogue "Wheels Within Wheels" configured with repetitive percussive phrases like the first track provides us obvious desert rock and enthusiastic inner oasis, that we cannot help feeling motivative.

This creation cannot be classified easily but shou include colourful essence mentioned above. A good one.