Album Review - Lone: Galaxy Garden

Lone
Galaxy Garden
Rating: Grrrr

UK producer Matt Cutler, operating under the Lone moniker, obviously adores his collection of late 80s early 90s rave records, especially the ones from 808 State, who brought a more ambient take to the pulsating rhythms and strobe-like synth stabs of club music. His last record Emerald Fantasy Tracks was a favorite of mine a couple of years ago, its neo-rave leanings tempered by a more current sounding icy texture, as if rave were hijacked by Boards of Canada. While I loved that record, it held to its one conceit fairly rigidly, without room for exploration or much diversity. With his latest record Galaxy Garden, he is still painting from the same box of rave colors, but is coloring outside the lines now, allowing tracks to breath more and go off on different tangents.

This change in view is noted immediately with the dreamy tropicalia of "New Colour," its bright, sun-splashed synths careening over luminous drum programming.



From there the album takes it time building up to Cutler's usual go-to frenzied beats. "The Animal Pattern" is a fun, 2-step/garage track peppered with acid house effects and twinkling synth patterns,



which melds perfectly with two-track collaborator Machinedrum, who adds his frenetic programming touch to the blisteringly manic "As A Child."



Which all leads gloriously to album centerpiece "Crystal Caverns 1991" which trades off from a deceptively chilled, Caribbean-laced opening to a madhouse of rave keyboards and squiggly synth lines.



"Raindance" continues the rave heavy middle part of the record, building from a echoing bass drum beginning to a fury of intricately pounding programming under a netting of sparkling keyboards. If this track doesn't throw you onto the nearest dance floor, you have to be deaf.



Dark keyboard rolls populate the dense, dramatic "Earth's Lungs," segueing into a bass charging dance floor throb.



And while I enjoy his more neo-rave inspired works, it was his willingness to slow things down, or add certain atmospheric textures to his tracks that really brought this record home for me. His other collaboration with Machinedrum, "Cthulhu," takes a more traditional beat pattern, but adds a slew of layered keyboard washes over it leading to an interesting coda of skittering percussion and guitar loops.



Closing track "Spirals" is one of Lone's first traditional vocal tracks, featuring Anneka, who graced one of my favorite tracks last year from FaltyDL. Her hushed, smoky voice brings a missing piece to his records, perfectly matched to a post-dubstep comedown track.



Galaxy Garden is not without its faults. A few tracks meander a little too much, never really gathering any steam. "Dream Girl/Sky Surfer" and "Lying In The Reeds" borrow a little too heavily from "Pacific State" era 808 State, with the latter track even subtly adapting its iconic synth sound. "Dragon Blue Eyes" is a rather pointless interstitial instrumental that doesn't really add much to the flow of the album. Despite these very minor issues, Galaxy Garden is easily one of the best electronic records of the year, showcasing Cutler's amazing production techniques. The change in approach from only having blinders on to allowing a more diversified, eclectic musical palate elevates him to the upper levels of producers today.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.