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review by Dene Bebbington Having started his musical life as a kid with a shoebox and rubber bands, Bobby DeVito (aka Stargarden) has now added the fourth album Music for Modern Listening to his discography. Apparently this latest release differs from his previous albums in that it is more melodic, shorter, and concise. The word modern in the title is appropriate, even though there's a mixture of analogue and digital equipment used, the sounds and compositional style have a contemporary feel. This is a beat and rhythm oriented album interspersed with some melodic and atmospheric passages. It also has a kind of trendy feel, as though it wouldn't be out of place if it were played in some club environments. Maybe because of the analogue equipment, or just because of the sonic palette that has been chosen, a lot of the music has a slightly opaque quality - it made me think of hearing it through the aural equivalent of a partially darkened lens. The album structure is song based comprising twelve tracks between three and six and a half minutes long. The first track, "Mural", gets going with a light metallic and bassy beat coupled with clicky and brushing percussion. It's somewhat akin to rhythmic dub that is joined by a short bouncy melody skipping along. On the piece "Funkylectro" the mood is, unsurprisingly, funky in nature - it has some nice grooves and rhythm, plus the expected beats. Also, a melody played out by staccato synths with an almost siren like edge gives off a sense of urgency and keeps the interest level up. In the background drum programming and high pitched chirping fill out the piece. Taking a brief detour from the style experienced up to this point is my favourite track "Astrolight". Here the music ventures into atmospheric ambient territory as glassy, spectral synth lines start the piece off before gossamer vocal effects enhance the ghostly aura. Around halfway through mid-tempo restrained drum beats start up to accompany the spooky elements. The other track to pick out for a mention is "Rutile", incorporating shuffling and rubbing rhythms as a backdrop to a short plinky melody it hints at a Sci-Fi theme that sounds vaguely familiar but which I cannot recall. Music for Modern Listening is one of those albums that explores in each track a particular musical theme without developing it further - think of it as a series of vignettes. At times the music is fun, occasionally it's atmospheric, but mostly it's pleasant and accessible. |
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