Null Object
- The Blind Clockmaker
By Brad Podray
Null Object's “the Blind Clockmaker”
can be referred to as a veritable tour de' stealth in the field of ambient
electronic works. The sound of this album resists the urge to slam
into your head with heavy beats and overused techo tricks.
Instead, “The Blind Clockmaker” keeps itself subtle, throwing in elements
from electric guitar and acoustic(or at least acoustic-sounding)
drums to keep the album's tone very warm throughout every track.
The songs are nearly all instrumental, with vocals dotting the album in
a tactful manner. Null Object focuses on demonstrating various
musical tactics, from the groovy beats of “Come Down From There”
to the calm atmosphere created in “Amsterdamage.”
The real glory of the album is in the accessibility
it will have to those still unschooled in the arts of electronic
music. Presence of guitar alone would probably lure in quite a number
of anti-techno biased consumers. Although the guitar melodies
are clever, their variation is limited. Expect to hear many
long-held and repeated notes soaked in effects. Also, the guitar
serves to only heighten the mood of the pieces instead of dazzle the listener
with an amazing amount of technical skill(In other words, don't expect
to hear any mind-blowing solos). Probably the best summary of this
album's sound would be “pleasant techno rock.” There's practically
no abrasiveness to the tracks at all, unlike a Brillo pad which is very
abrasive and handy for getting melted cheese off of somebody's forehead.
A particular track that stick out are the optimistic “Turn Inward,” a highly
innovative piece that dashes at layered soft ambient rock(best way to describe
it, honestly) and stays there.
For those of you that like slow background
music techno, you may enjoy tracks 1-9(Hint for those of you who may not
get the joke: That's all the tracks on the album).
Sure to please: Ambient techno fans.
Sure to disappoint: Sepultura fans, people
who like lyrics in their songs.
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