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Elly Roberts reviews

Instruments Of Science And Technology:
Music From The Films Of Richard Swift

Distributed by
Secretly Canadian

January 2008

Rating: 2/10

Experimental electronica. Dull.

Anything that smacks of ‘experimental’ can be dodgy business. And so this is. Not many musicians (or computer wizards) can carry it off. Probably the best at it is Jean Michel Jarre et al.

Any kind of music that’s special is intended to touch us in some way. It makes the rest sound ordinary which this protracted title and sonic effects is. It feels like Richard Swift has set his controls to the heart of muzak, leaving us to conclude that it’s cold and contrived.

Ashes, is just one minute’s worth of ambient nothingness. "The best way to relax is to lie down upon your bed and stretch up...", he opens Inst, followed by, yep, you got it, a programmed beat layered by distorted vocals and quirky instrumentation. Subplot crackles in and onwards for nearly three minutes.

A tedious Shooting A Rhino is a major low point, again nothing more than aimlessly drifting F/X, segued by equally dire Plan A & Plan B, supplemented by the sound of raindrops. After what sounds a promising start, Theme 5 just goes, on and on. War/Un War is equally boring.

There’s a lot of bish-banging on Theme 3 with Swift failing to add any real dynamic meaning to the continuing tininess, while the clanging profile of Ghost Of Hip Hop takes on a far more sombre tone.

File under: Best left for space movies.

The full list of tracks included are :

1. Ashes 2. Inst 3. Subplot 4. Shooting A Rhino Between The Shoulders 5. Plan A & Plan B 6. Theme 5 7. War / Un War 8. Theme 3 9. Theme 4 10. Clay Young Battles The Man 11. Ghost Of Hip Hop (New Apostles remix) 12. They Provide Lights

Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.

As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.

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