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Review by Bill Binkelman Dan McRae's last foray into his unique brand of "cinematic electronica" yielded the exciting and cerebral Eskimo. McRae is back but this time he offers us a blend of styles that combines the icy frenetic beatfests of his previous release with a warmer, more serene (at times) urban sensibility, while still retaining his quirky integration of glitch, laptop, and more traditional EM elements which add appeal for those who prefer an overt sense of melody. In addition to the music, Half-Naked also contains the short film (in DVD format, not MPEG) of the same name and which features McRae's superb music as soundtrack to the dialogue and sound-free yet visually arresting film. The tale could be considered a modern updating of the 1970 film, Watermelon Man, in which a bigoted white man wakes up one day to discover he is now black. In Half-Naked, however, the tale is told sans dialogue and is both grimmer and grimier. A skinhead living in a nondescript high rise somewhere in England notices (via an itching and burning sensation) a dark-colored rash forming on his back. He tries to relieve it with some lotion but the patch spreads over more of his body and eventually to his face. His fear and paranoia grow, especially when he confronts his skinhead friends who now view him with suspicion and hatred. McRae's music is a spot on fit for the visuals, beginning with a gentle piano refrain melding into an urgent bass beat undercurrent punctuated with dramatic plucked violin strings. The track erupts into laser zap electronic bursts and pounding snare beats as the man realizes there is something terribly amiss with his body. The piece builds and subsides and builds and subsides, perfectly matching the cautionary visual tale, making a powerful statement about race relations in today's constantly morphing society. In addition to the title track, there is also a quirky (to say the least) spoken-word narrative and music cut, "At 12 AM We Lock The Doors." It's the story of a young man's night out with a carousing friend which goes horribly wrong, dressed up with a beat-heavy serving of pulsing nervy electronica. As an American, I had some problems with the thick English accent of the narrator, but after a few listens (on headphones) I deciphered most of it. The music works well with the dialogue, mixing whimsy with a darker underbelly. Three more "straight" instrumental tracks complete the EP. "Inside" begins as a chilled somber selection of minimal ambient pulses, ringing tones, and textures. Later on, organ-like notes and muted snare beats intermix with glitch/lap-top rhythms and undulating synths before descending back into the same minimalist arena where the song started. "Reason To Live" brings to mind Darshan Ambient's pastoral minimalism with its gentle bell tones and ebbing and flowing lush strings. Although only a few ticks over two minutes, the piece still feels "right" as it doesn't wear out its welcome. Closing the EP is "Half-Naked Red Light Mix" which explodes amidst blistering electric guitar and thundering bass as well as breakbeats and high energy zapping synths and other keyboards. Bearing only a passing resemblance to the opening track, this song is pumped full of adrenalin; it feels like speeding down a deserted motorway at 3 am rushing toward your vehicle's redline. As he did on Eskimo, Dan McRae reveals himself to be both a technical wizard (the CD sounds deliriously giddy with all degree of sparkle and shine in the mix) and an artist of uncommon imagination. The only downside of this recording is the EP's short length (about twenty-one minutes, not counting the DVD which is included). If you think electronic music doesn't offer anything new, pick up the latest from Thin Films and see if I'm wrong when I say that Dan McRae is doing his damndest to jump start the genre. NOTE: The DVD part of the recording is Region 2, playable only on DVD players from the U.K. or on a player designated as "all region." |
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