Menu | Rating System | Guest Book | Archived Reviews:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

         
       
         
 
Recording:
  Ultramarin  
 
Artist:
  Jetone  
 
Label:
  Caroline  
 
Release Date:
  21.August.2001  
 
Reviewed by:
  PostLibyan  
         
 
Rating:
   
         
 
Review:
 

In my continuing exploration of the musical genre known as IDM, i tracked down a copy of this disc, which is supposed to be one of the masterpieces of the genre. Or maybe not. Someone recommended it to me, so i spent some time finding it.

Ultramarin is a strange mix of hard, danceable rave beats, wierd glitch type noises, deep head bobbing bass riffs, and ambient drones. For a while i just found it bland. I would put it on, don my headphones, and sit down to write. And it worked fine as background music: a little too minimal at times to drown out the din of cubical conversation, but mostly pleasant.

Then one day i was stressed out. I don't remember why: too much coffee and arguing with some yutz in a suit over what a browser can and cannot do is probably the reason. Anyway, i was stressed out, so i sit down and put on Ultramarin. It's minimal ambient tones relaxed me, and i found myself calming down. Which was a great effect, and wonderfully helpful.

Since then, i have gone back to listen to this many times, and i now find that i enjoy it. Jetone is like a minimalistic Mouse on Mars: the songs have that same glitchy beats with glowing keyboards kind of thing going on, only the music is sparser. Sometimes it's too sparse, so that if i am in the mood for something energetic, this album actively bores me.

But still, there are some nice moments. Specifically, things pick up on Phoedra IV. Up until this song, Ultramarin was almost ambient, but Phoedra IV has a deep, thudding rave rhythm. It creates a steady monotony, like a mantra, allowing you to focus on one thing while keys and glitchy noises circle the beat. The next track Thousand Oaks is a variation on that same theme, only here the backbone is a spiraling bass riff. Again, strange IDM noises circle the bass riff, and Jetone adds a funky little drum beat. It's a really good and catchy song.

Otherwise, the album varies between ambient noise and good glitch. It's well done laptop music. So -- if you like that sort of stuff check this out. If, however, the thought of a laptop as an instrument annoys you, then this probably isn't for you.

 
         
 
Related Links:
 

None available.

 
         

Return to the top of this page. | Return to the Album Review menu.