SOCIAL MEDIA
SEARCH
Login
NEWSLETTER
WHO'S ONLINE
There are 187 unlogged users and 0 registered users online.
You can log-in or register for a user account here.
You can log-in or register for a user account here.
REVIEWS
Buy this album from iTunes
A Minor is Such a Lovely Key
Morning FOG
New Seven
Radio Wyoming
The Storehouse Song
Sakasai
Heaven Now
Tussle in B Minor
Phone Thing
The Wait Out
Take Up Your Cross
Teschner
RELATED REGEN LINKS
REVIEWS
Seven Octaves
Simple Work
KMT Records
Posted: Thursday, November 13, 2008
By: Trubie Turner
By: Trubie Turner
A jazzy and fanciful electronic album that wants to pretend it's older than it actually is.
The first full-length album from New York's Seven Octaves, Simple Work presents an eclectic mix of jazz funk, rock beats, and lighthearted techno experimentation in a sound somewhat in the same vein as classic IDM acts such as Orbital if they had been around in the '70s. With their strong elements of funk and use of analog synthesizers, Seven Octaves incorporates a very authentic retro sound that gives Simple Work a nostalgic charm but can also make it hard to take it seriously at times.
A perfect example of what to expect from the rest of the album, the lead off track "A Minor is Such a Lovely Key" mixes '60s sci-fi drive in styled synth, jazzy improvisation, and a simple but catchy beat to great effect. "Sakasai" is another jazzy funk track that is immensely catchy, but unfortunately it also sounds like it would be right at home in a pornographic film from the '70s. Seemingly channeling Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade, some tracks such as "The Storehouse Song" and "Heaven Now" venture a tad too far into the realm of the whimsical and end up giving the songs a Saturday morning feel, as if they would more fitting on a children's show. "Phone Thing" is one of the more unusual and experimental tracks of the album, but unfortunately fails to do anything terribly interesting and is overall just too basic to garner any real interest making it one of the only boring moments of the album.
Overall, Seven Octaves does bring some interesting ideas to the table but just seems to fall a little short of executing them all perfectly. At times the various elements of Simple Work are a little too dated, too simplistic, or too juvenile, but these faults should not discourage exploration of Seven Octaves' work for some listeners may find these faults to be an even greater enhancement to Seven Octaves' already ample charm.
A perfect example of what to expect from the rest of the album, the lead off track "A Minor is Such a Lovely Key" mixes '60s sci-fi drive in styled synth, jazzy improvisation, and a simple but catchy beat to great effect. "Sakasai" is another jazzy funk track that is immensely catchy, but unfortunately it also sounds like it would be right at home in a pornographic film from the '70s. Seemingly channeling Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade, some tracks such as "The Storehouse Song" and "Heaven Now" venture a tad too far into the realm of the whimsical and end up giving the songs a Saturday morning feel, as if they would more fitting on a children's show. "Phone Thing" is one of the more unusual and experimental tracks of the album, but unfortunately fails to do anything terribly interesting and is overall just too basic to garner any real interest making it one of the only boring moments of the album.
Overall, Seven Octaves does bring some interesting ideas to the table but just seems to fall a little short of executing them all perfectly. At times the various elements of Simple Work are a little too dated, too simplistic, or too juvenile, but these faults should not discourage exploration of Seven Octaves' work for some listeners may find these faults to be an even greater enhancement to Seven Octaves' already ample charm.
