Crommie, Daniel: Life Rattle

Daniel Crommie has been around the electronic scene for a number of years now having released over two dozen solo albums. He is also a founding member of a number of bands including Group Du Jour, Echo System, Continuum and Saturnalia Trio. His songs mostly lie in the realm of techno and electronic styles and he uses a variety of electronic and acoustic instruments such as digital and analogue synths, electronic dulcimer, flutes, recorder, pan pipes and bul bul tarang. He also provides vocals on five tracks. After listening to this CD it is clear Crommie has some good ideas but at times I felt the songs tended to drag on a little too long. He does add some other styles into the mix like ambient, Eastern and electronic folk that does helps with the variety factor.

The album's first tune is "The Spell is Broken", which has a cool techno vibe with lots of synths, some ambient textures and programmed drum beats. Next is the more up-tempo "Sidewinder" with muted electronic rhythms and heavily processed vocals. I actually prefer Crommie's natural voice as opposed to the synthesized one. He has a monotone delivery and although he does not have the greatest voice I have heard, it does suit this style of music. The album exudes a slightly darker tone on the title track and "Green Nile Stomp" as both feature eerie synth sounds and Eastern melodies. The album ends with the five part epic "Entropy Suite" carrying on in a similar vein as the rest of the CD.

There is no doubting Daniel Crommie is a talented musician and there are some nice moments here but I found some of the songs a little too similar for my taste. However, if you are into the techno/electronic genre by all means listen to the samples and decide for yourself.

Track Listing:
1. The Spell is Broken (5:30)
2. Sidewinder (4:27)
3. Rin Tin Tin Pan Pipes (4:53)
4. Life Rattle (4:45)
5. Green Nile Stomp (4:18)
6. Not All Talk (4:04)
7. Rocket 2 Stingy (6:15)
8. Cyanide Picnic (4:16)
9. The Final Stretch (3:33)
10. Bug Zapper Waltz (4:08)
11. Entropy Suite (17:55)

Added: February 13th 2010
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's MySpace Page
Hits: 2071
Language: english

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