Ben Jordan is amazing.
S. Eaton | Monterey, CA United States | 03/27/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I will forgo the general cliche of comparing this artist to others. Instead, imagine that you are knocked down by an incurable cancer and are thus frozen in order to keep you "alive" until a cure becomes available.
The year is now 2060 and half of the world is desert. The other half is in the midst of a steady global crisis; stricken with famine and the anarchy of small wars. Despite this apocalyptic future, a cure is found and you are brought "home" after 55 years of stasis.
Your psychiatrist is going to get you through the lonliness with music and history. You have been presented a basket containing a list of present day recordings and at random, choose Kirlian Selections. The music fills the empty halls of your home, drilling and atmospheric. The smart wallpaper cues to the sound and displays a field of flowers beneath a crystaline sky that reflects a myriad of colors from a distant and alien sun. Phantom children dance frenetically and a family that appears to have once been your own, is enjoying a picnic in absolute peace. The music changes at times, like a passing cloud laden with violent rain, but returns to the pristine calm that can only be found in simulation.
The tracks of this album mesh and bring you through a wonderful collection of soundscapes. It denotes a level of maturity that unfortunately, seems to be elusive to others who share this particular genre of music. In short, when I think of ideal intelligence electronic composition, this is what my mind hears. This album shares the accessibility of Red Extensions and contains similar elements of drillnbass mixed with piano and string based instruments. Anyone who is a fan of Ben's other releases will find this at the top of their list."
An absolutely amazing album. Essential listening for all ele
Steward Willons | Illinois | 04/20/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This was my first Flashbulb album and remains my favorite. It shows Ben Jordan's total mastery of electronic music production. His ideas flow fast and freely at speeds usually reserved for artists like Venetian Snares. The difference is, Jordan is much more melodic and there's a greater variety than typical drill 'n bass albums.
There are many small tracks, each developing an idea before moving on to the next. I wouldn't necessarily call all of them "songs" - more like movements to a larger work. They blend seamlessly into the next making something that is coherent, but also wildly paced. That's not to say every track is crazed breakcore mash-up. There are some quite lovely tracks where the energy comes down and allows the listener's ears to decompress for a minute or two before the drums return. That feature is probably the most significant because where one's ears can quickly tire when exposed to a sustained assault (again, I'm thinking of some of the more aggressive vsnares albums), The Flashbulb's sense of pacing allows one to listen to the entire album effortlessly.
"Kirlian Selections" has a jazzy feel, thanks in part to some acoustic instruments, most of which are played by the Flashbulb himself. It's also jazzy in the way some of it feels improvisatory - even within the highly ordered/produced structure. Even though the arrangements are complex, there is always room for one or more parts to flow in a more spontaneous manner.
This is a landmark album - an album that every electronic music fan should own. It's an amazing experience with something for everyone: wicked beats, strange sounds, advanced digital signal processing techniques, melody, and a great overall sense of development. You can't go wrong with "Kirlian Selections.""
Ok, this is a masterpiece. there, i said it.
luckybuzz | winnipeg, mb | 03/29/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"i debated waiting to write this review until the honeymoon phase was over... but after probably two-dozen listens (in the car, in headphones, before bed, while getting ready for work), my love for this cd is still growing. it's going to be a long, happy marriage.
the previous reviewer was very poetic and eloquent in describing just what about this record makes it so darn special. my own take will probably lean closer to fanboy gushing... but just as benn jordan has approached electronic music from many different directions historically, geographically, technologically, and emotionally; so should the people who appreciate this album give it many dimensions of love.
while "kirlian selections" is a somewhat logical follow-up to the also-excellent-but-less-thrilling "red extensions of me", the mood is very different, and i feel like benn has kept the best qualities of that album and improved upon its few imperfections.
this one did take a while to sink in (partly because it's gargantuan, at 28 songs over 71 minutes). the production and programming was consistently as good as (or better than) anything he's released before. but it took a few listens (and, most importantly, a few FULL listens without interruptions) for this to hold together as an album. it just seemed too sprawling, too varied, too quiet-loud-quiet... until, out of nowhere, i "got it".
every song here fits together perfectly. to remove any one of them would be a huge disservice to the album.
the songwriting, and the human touches in the musicianship (guitar, piano, strings, horns, sitar, live drums and a handful of eastern instruments) are enthralling and addictive. benn has always put together nice chord progressions, but this time they are more layered and building.
and the beatz are doper than ever. some of the drum programming is way out of control, but in a good way. as always, it's never short of fascinating.
incredibly, the album does not get boring. every song is interesting sonically, melodically or both. this is the biggest strength of "kirlian selections". when there's not much going on melodically, the production and sounds used are jaw-droppers. when the bells-and-whistles stop and you have just a musician playing alone with maybe some reverb and ambient sound effects, the songwriting comes to the front of the class.
elements of jazz, IDM, heavy metal, hip hop, opera, 60s pop, and a healthy scoop of classical and world music make this so much more than anything else you'll find out there. you get the sense that benn jordan put it together as a lengthy musical narrative, and threw in some love for his favourite styles of music.
i'm hoping, since this was released on sublight records right here in my hometown, that he'll come back and play live like he did for the last record. i missed him then, but i'll drag everyone i know next time.
absolutely stunning. as close to a perfect album as i've heard in years."
Track Listings (28) - Disc #1