Search - Casino Versus Japan :: Whole Numbers Play the Basics

If you like Boards of Canada,

bowery boy | seattle | 04/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"then you'll like Casino vs Japan. The overall feel is incredibly similar NOT in the sense that they sound anything a like because they don't; but in the sense that Casino vs Japan, like Boards of Canada, creates atmospheric textures with softly rolling drumbeats buried underneath the sonic washes of sound. Otherwordly, atmospheric and ambient. You'll find yourself being washed away on waves of warm synthesizers while childlike melodies whisper softly in your ear. The two minute goose bump inducing `moonlupe' is one of those tracks, short and dreamy. My personal favorite is `em essey', a chills-up-my-spine inducing track with a beautiful haunting melody and slow crunchy beats. `whole numbers play the basics' gets denser and more complicated with each consecutive track and grows on you the more you listen to it. It's one of those discs you can play if you're melancholy or ebullient, it suits every mood. A breath of fresh air in the often dark and dreary world of electronica."

A Fine Musical Journey

0=0 | Earth | 06/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Several years ago I found this cd used and bought it based on some positive reviews I've read. Upon hearing this release the first thing I thought was how a person could be crazy (or broke) enough to have gotten rid of this true gem. Erik Kowalski (aka Casino Versus Japan) is one of the most truly underrated and overlooked wonders in the oversaturated genre of modern electronic music (much like his Carpark labelmate Marumari). This is not the kind of cold, glitchy, minimalist stuff that's big with a lot of chin-strokers, but instead instrumental music overflowing with shimmering color and life. Erik is a master of melody, which in my opinion is an element of music that can never be exhausted or outdated if done well. There is a strong emphasis on beats and rhythms here too, most of which have an almost monolithic lumbering quality to them, paced in a hip-hop style clad in industrial armor. That's not to say this is agressive or hostile music, if those genres bring that kind of thing to mind. This album has more in common with Boards of Canada (a common, if not overused comparison) than Skinny Puppy or Public Enemy. And I wouldn't be stretching it to say that CVJ's closest ancestors are bands like Slowdive, Kitchens of Distinction, Flying Saucer Attack, or My Bloody Valentine. In fact this is the album that MBV's Kevin Shields probably dreams of putting together. This is mainly due to the sublime and monumentally beautiful walls of manipulated guitar texture found throughout this, and all of CVJ's wonderful releases. Erik Kowalski's bio states that he was into collecting and building model trainsets prior to getting into music. I'm not surprised one bit and can clearly hear how his fascination with travel and motion and going to new places extends into his sonic endeavors. This is by no means pleasant or quaint background music for washing dishes to. In fact I'd rather place CVJ in a category more akin to foreground music that deserves attention. So when you wisely purchase this release and pop it in your player, prepere to travel through lush, green valeys, towering stacks of red mesas, and far beyond. All aboard!!!"

It really grows on you

J. Stinson | Gaithersburg, Maryland United States | 07/28/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I popped "Whole Numbers Play the Basics" into my CD player, I was unimpressed. The album, although well composed and compiled, did not live up to its critical acclaim and didn't have the flow or setting that seemed to come so easily for the groups contemporaries like Boards of Canada and Squarepusher. However, for some unexplainable reason, I didn't take it out of my player for a long time, and found myself listening to it all the way through quite often. Now, I understand what the critics were raving about. CvJ's sophomore effort is really an acquired taste, but it is quite beautiful and fits well in the great conversation of electronic music. Definitely worth a listen, just listen more than once (or five times, for that matter)."