Remora: Derivative

In music, as in life, hard work is not necessarily a bad thing. Derivate is not always an easy album to listen to. Featuring slow building sounds, often drenched with feedback, interspersed with occasionally jarring rhythms, and totally lacking in vocal hooks. Said by creator Brian John Mitchell to be based on chart hits, Remora's focus is resolutely not on selling millions of singles.

Yet despite the dense and leaden tone, the album has an oblique appeal. The organ-esq tones of 'every prince' that drip with atmosphere could never be called ethereal, but they do possess a solemn majesty. The doomy paranoia of 'what did you see there?' and 'all of our times have come' create a near hypnotic web, ever if the pairing becomes a little too much towards the end. The wavering unease of 'into the light' is such that the listener barely notices that they've been listening to what amounts to not much more than eight minutes of low-level noises. The pieces have a powerful resonance that goes beyond the sum of the sounds heard.

Let us be clear, this is not necessarily an album that you might want to play repeatedly. Getting the most out of its subtle atmospheres requires an effort on behalf of the listener that is not always enjoyable, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. But it does feel like an album with something to say, despite the lack of words. Time spent on it is certainly not time wasted, and is ultimately rewarded.

Track Listing
1. every prince
2. highway run
3. misdirection
4. death planes
5. what did you see there
6. all our times have come
7. into the light
8. love corrupt

Added: November 25th 2009
Reviewer: Richard Wheelhouse
Score:
Related Link: Silber Media
Hits: 1930
Language: english

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