Search - Arovane :: Atol Scrap

Somber, thoughtful IDM

G. Wachman | Minneapolis, MN United States | 03/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a bit surprised at the negative (or less positive) reviews here. I am a big fan of autechre's earlier work (Amber through TR) and found this to be quite enjoyable. It is definitely more accessible than autechre. The music focuses on lonesome melodies and tasteful rhythms. I really get an indescribable feeling when I listen to this album...lonliness combined almost with wonder. It's kind of like a walk on a clear cold winter night during a full moon. Anyway, although this may not exhibit the complexity or abstraction of autechre's work, I still think it has a lot of value. I think it is a really smooth, consistent album. I usually like comparisons when I'm looking for new bands, so my closest comparison is "amber" (autechre). It's the closest album to this that I own, and therefore my best basis for comparison, so don't pick on me. Despite its obvious similarities to autechre, though, it really has a life and sound of its own. For anyone exploring the depths of IDM, I highly recommend this excellent album."

Ghosts and ice cold beauty

A. Pai | 01/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"another reason to worship at the temple of berlin... arovane programs haunting tracks from (one presumes) his dark bedroom studio. i love both albums i've heard-- atol scrap is to autechre as tides is to boards of canada. atol scrap = more mechanistic, more jittery contorted beats but also unearthly bells clinging (ambelio-- sounds like not much else out there) & wistful melodies that evoke imaginary long-gone landscapes. 'thaem nue' is my favorite track. it makes me think of temples, solemn worship of the infinite, sadness but also wonder (as someone below said). for those with a taste for melancholy melodies & glitchy rhythms, this cannot be missed. so many days i would step outside my apartment when clouds where in the sky, smoke one cigarette and lose myself in glistening circuit paths & sounds of code, wonder & regret"

Classic, or at least very classy

Andrew Schrock | Somerville, MA United States | 07/05/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The CD focuses not on the laid back melodies of "icol diston" or "Tides", (the latter being no more than a theme album IMHO) instead consists of more abstract, fluid beats which are no less determined then Kraftwerk alongside ace progression. The melodies are delicate and intricate, not overbearing. Nearly gone are the lush pad/strings, leaving only ghostly processed versions of their former selves. Although Zahn is a fan of hardware-only music production, with "Atol Scrap"s strange stylistic twists, one cannot help but draw comparisons to the current crop of glitch-hop laptop musicians. Many of the tracks are in different time signatures, (although some 4/4 still remain, similar to "icol diston") which may be what some reviewers refer to as "dry". But this is hardly a downside to Zahn's style... Nor has all of this genre been "done better by Autechre". "IDM" should not consist of standard formulae: "Atol Scrap" is lovely music, regardless, and I would dare to say has staying value in this notoriously short-lived genre."