Following Containing A Thousand and the Mountain Divide EP, their pair of sublime releases for the label, Lakker now deliver their debut album Tundra, perfectly in line with R&S''s techno heritage whilst also taking in influence and inspiration from the varied likes of No U-Turn Records, the choral music of Arvo Part, Merzbow, early Human League, and raw ethnic music. The crowning achievement of their decade long musical career, Tundra sees them once again blurring the lines between the real, organic / natural and the synthesised, virtual and artificial the album contains field recordings from motorway tunnels in Japan, church bells from Schneberg, a female choir from Dublin and Inuit throat singers. Tundra is a titanic album of diverse and intense soundscapes that demands exploration by not only Aphex Twin obsessives, but also fans of the likes of Sunn O))).
T**F
Serious Listening
Lakker is a sonic collaboration between Dubliners Dara Smith and Ian McDonnellTheir new album `Tundra' sizzles with both electricity and intelligence. As far asmachine-made music goes this probably comes somewhere close to the top ofthe pile with respect to ingenuity and originality. One problem with this kind ofmaterial, however, is that I'm never wholly sure what I'm required to do with it.I suppose you could try to dance to it ( difficult ); or perhaps play it near yourtomato plants in the hope that the sounds might stimulate growth ( possible );or just maybe ( I hear your raised voices here ) I should just shut up and listen.So, listen to it I have done and at the end of the venture (thrice repeated) I ampleased to report that the experience has been an interesting and enjoyable one.Messrs Smith and McDonnell certainly make a mighty big racket but the ten piecesin this collection have well-defined rhythmic structures, even if they do not containtunes that are easy to whistle (an exception being the introduction to `Three Songs'which comes pretty close in a Psalms-on-Sunday kind-of way) and more than enoughtantalising ideas and dynamic variation to keep us stuck to our chairs for almost an hour.`Halite' is one of the more engaging numbers at our disposal; the beats are solid andthe melodic fragments are such that we emerge with our ears stimulated rather thanburned. `Ton'neru', on the other hand, is a beast of a thing with a far more amorphousand abstract shape which results in it being a tad more difficult to grasp and digest.However I really enjoyed the title track `Tundra' which crackles with barely-suppressed darkenergy and the epic `Mountain Divide' which made my eyeballs roll round in their sockets.File under 'S' for `Serious Listening'.
A**R
Quality electronica
I'm not going to write a long boring review about this album. However, I've listened to this many times & I really like it.Quality electronica, simple.
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