Lament Configuration "Paragon-Asia Dataflow" CD
[NCC]
Here we have over an hour's worth of rhythmic experimental noise via 14 tracks that flow very well considering their overall length. In the artist's own words, as printed on the back of the CD case: "The concept of Lament Configuration has always been to create a very lo-fi, percussion driven, melodic, and abrasive mix of sounds while adding in many (not-so)-pop-culture references." That's a very accurate description, though I must confess that I'm not really catching these alleged "(not-so)-pop-culture references", nor do I find the material to be what I would classify as "lo-fi". True, some of the distorted beats or synth textures have a lo-fi sort of vibe happening, but the mix is very full and resonant, and I think the sound quality is actually quite nice. Most of the tracks revolve around distorted percussive rhythms and various synthesized soundscapes (some a bit darker, some a bit more abrasive, some bordering on the melodically upbeat), with samples occasionally thrown in very deep in the mix so that they're pretty hard to decipher. Many of the songs are repetitive and sort of sound alike, but a lot of the darker pieces definitely stand out. "Silk" uses quieter synths with more explosive percussion that definitely creates a very curious atmosphere. "Last Day" is also on the darker side and uses a markedly slower tempo. "Stretcher" is a bit noisier and more pulsating, bringing in some clear industrial influences. It's unsettling in some ways, but very cool. The last track is a remix of the title track by Meson. Good stuff: Very chilled out and a bit more interesting than the preceding few pieces. Like many NCC releases the package here is a lesson in tasteful simplicity: The CD comes in a plain plastic case, clear blue, with nothing on the front, and a clear sticker on the back. The sticker is printed in black and has a strange icon at the top, and then text that starts out large and gets gradually smaller, including the tracklist, recording information, etc. Very minimal, yet very effective. My only criticism with this release is that it's way too long for what it has to offer. I think that the music is very enjoyable and quite professional, but for its minimal nature there isn't enough diversity to warrant over an hour's worth of material. Not only do many of the songs sound the same, but many of the beats themselves sound barely unalike one another, so by the time the CD's about halfway over I definitely mind myself getting a bit bored. Were the release between 30 and 45 minutes of the absolutely strongest tracks herein, I think it would have had far more impact. I would definitely recommend this project to fans of the style, however. Good work. (7/10)
Running time - 67:44, Tracks: 14
[Notable tracks: Silk, Last Day, Wire Trip, Graffiti Garden, Paragon-Asia Dataflow - Flow Control Mix]
NCC Records - http://www.ncc-records.com

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