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review by Dene Bebbington British electronic music ace Ian Boddy has teamed up again with German touch guitarist Markus Reuter for their second studio album. The result is a unique aural experience that further cements Ian's deserved reputation for forging great creative partnerships with other musicians, and for exploring different musical territories. If I could use one word to sum up this album it would be "simplicity". The overall impression is one of clean and uncluttered sound where each track is like the musical equivalent of a short story in which an idea is explored without recourse to unnecessary detail. Out of eleven tracks the longest is less than nine minutes (and typically less than six minutes) so these are musical vignettes of the right length. From the start of the opening track "Presence" it's obvious that this album is going to be something different. Bright and dreamlike plucks of a guitar weave hypnotic strands of sound around gossamer synth pads and a steadily more noticeable bass line. At this early point I was reminded of the minimalism of Steve Reich, though Pure is by no means a minimalist album in that sense it does share the desire to focus on key musical elements without superfluous layers and adornments. More tracks worth mentioning include "Glisten", beginning with gamelan bells performing a repeating sequence the fantastical mood then gets added to by icy tones slicing across the soundscape. The shortest track "Breathe" has a similar mood as bright and changing synth lines make one imagine seeing coloured beams of light from a spiritual source - in the emotional feel this piece brings to mind Jeff Pearce's To the Shores of Heaven. Whether the purity is sonic, musical, or both, Pure is a remarkable album that demonstrates how less can really be more. It's not that there aren't layers of sound, it's just that they're performed with an ear to what's important so nothing sounds like unnecessary or overblown padding. Without a doubt this is a CD that belongs in the collection of any self-respecting EM fan who wants to hear two musicians at the top of their game. |
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