Search - Flashbulb :: Red Extensions of Me

My Favorite Album

Jay | Rockville, MD United States | 05/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first got into more experimental electronic music after buying Go Plastic on a hunch, which was right before a friend showed me Windowlicker. This music totally blew my mind. It's like what I had been waiting for all my life. I am a huge fan of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher, but have to admit that The Flashbulb is my favorite artist. He carves a unique nitch in this music that to me is essential. His albums are stellar productions of quality tracks, each one formed into a perfect flowing whole. It took me a year after getting into this music, even searching diligently for new artists, to discover him. Luckily, I went to a Zod concert in Philly where they were selling These Open Fields. That started an obsessive hunt to find more of his work. All his albums that I've been able to buy are stunning productions. From beginning to end they never cease to rock my world. Some weren't exactly easy to find either. Fortunately for you this release has large distributorship. So far I've bought Drain Mode On, These Open Fields, Girls Suck But You Don't, Resent and the April Sunshine Shed, and the latest piping-hot, mind-shattering release, Red Extensions of Me. I've listened to Red Extensions a million times already and think it is my favorite, but then I've been going back and listening to all the other albums, and they still sound so incredible. All his albums have a different vibe so it's kinda hard to pick a favorite. The Flashbulb's talent impresses me so much that I feel like he should be a household name around the world. I don't hear enough good things about him in news and reviews. In my eyes, he already is a super-star. I've learned a lot about the music business observing him (or have been confused by it). I used to innocently think all you needed was one good album to quit your day job and becoming financially independent. To me, the Flashbulb is at the top, his albums are the bomb, but yet he is still gaining recognition that I figured he would have had long ago. I'm not the best at describing music, so I won't go into a description of the music on Red Extensions. However, I do want to say that he is much more than an unreal knob tweaking programmer (though that's very cool), playing piano, guitars and other instruments, and sometimes adding interesting vocals to his amazing compositions. All of it creates rich emotional depth for the music. I mainly wanted to get the point across about my enthusisam for this release and The Flashbulb as an artist. This release will not dissapoint. I'm one for superlatives, but honestly feel like this is THE best album I own. Hope you enjoy it too!"

This CD iz da BOMB!!!

Matt | Culowhee, NC | 03/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you've never heard of The Flashbulb, ... check it out. I've been listening to his music for around a year and I recently got a chance to C him live.....Beautiful tones and great production litters his work. The music is deep, involved, and enlightning. This album is Benn's best work to date. It's a mix of all electronic music. Fast drill 'n bass, slow melodic electronica, and even vocoded vocals are all included. Support this artist as he is one of the best in The biz right now. I would compare him to the likes of Aphex, Squarepusher and others, but it's really not comparable. What The Flashbulb creates is new, exciting, and sometimes mind-blowing. Do yourself a favor and buy this CD right now...Peace!"

Igloo Magazine's REVIEW

Pietro Da Sacco | 12/02/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Review by: Paul Lloyd at [...] (10.06.04)

Benn Jordan has been recording and releasing music under various incarnations since 1994 but releases Red Extensions of Me as his debut for Canadian label Sublight Records. With a quite extensive discography of releases listed on his website, mainly due to his releasing music to local record stores for sale without publicity, Jordan is well-versed in music production, composing recording and producing almost all of the album. Sharing label space with the likes of Venetian Snares and Fanny gives some indication what to expect from Jordan's work - breakbeats, twisted samples, elements of classic experimental electronic music along with the occasional foray into funk and even some guitar and melodies for good measure. Where Jordan differs from the likes of VSnares is that his music is less abstract whilst maintaining the same fractured sound, if with more structure. He also maintains his sense of humor throughout and never seems to take himself too seriously. Take "If Trees Could Speak" for example which bears more than a passing resemblance to Madonna's "Don't Tell Me".



At first luring you in with some nice piano melodies on "In an Instant" Jordan soon hits you with a noisy barrage of broken breaks and toy guitar riffs with "Lawn Wake I", then taking "Lawn Wake II" into more experimental electronic direction before finishing the trilogy with the textural breaks of "Lake Wake III". Keeping up the mellower vibe and adding some funky guitar is "An External Frost" and "Sunset Hamlin" while "Planet TH" takes us on a futuristic space journey. In complete contrast, "Didj Z" is a tense ambient track with guitar and voice instrumentation. Similarly, "Black Lawn Finale" features a backdrop of piano melodies and sweeping ambience under the frantic breaks. As with VSnares, there is a lot more to Jordan's music than there first seems; below the breaks and fractured noises are piano melodies and sweeping ambient textures showing there is more to his music than just a beat onslaught. Fittingly, Red Extensions of Me closes with a similar piano piece to its start but with the bonus of two excellent sample laden bonus tracks to follow. Red Extensions of Me is an enjoyable album and an interesting take on the breakcore genre that never takes itself too seriously but also has hidden depth."