The Score Magazine - Archive February 2015 issue! | Page 44

When Pandas Attacks - Things Pass By
What is gorgeous about Ankur Chauhan's solo project is that while it totes itself primarily with
elements of electronica, it treads melodic and rhythmic formations that verge on post-rock. A
Beginning smooth eases you into the album general ambience, which combined flawless sweeps
of sound with impeccably cultured beats balanced on knife-edge-like time signatures. All That
Was features amply-processed but authentically retained vocals mashed up in choppy soundloops
sprinkled with cluttery static. Abandon Window is a spin on the Jon Hopkins classic which
features more layered tones and doesn't really do much to distinguish itself from the original.
Beside Me ( Ft. Little Brontosaurus ) and If Only ( Interlude) employ surreptitious hooks that
quickly explode into unforgettably catchy repetitions, with no small thanks to minimal but
essential vocals. Good Night to Bite stays true to years of electronica tradition - sample vocals
and uncomplicated pump-and-release patterns which serve to keep your nodding amicably. A Bid
Farewell deliberated un-synchronises beat and melody, giving you a serene-but-unpredictable
aural timeline to catch up to. So.. and Movement lie low and leap high, securing the transition
between tempo and intensity with a lack of effort that would put gold medalist figure skaters
to shame. For You to Keep combines Chauhan's charm with Ketan Bahirat's ( of Until We
Last ) mastery, making it the most distinguishable offering. The pitch stays on the higher
end, delivering a rather unsettling addition to an album that otherwise stays to a consistent
downtempo baseline. But the point is, it all works. Exquisitely so.
Seamless melodic transitions, unrpedictable modulations of sound that transcends all tested
formulae
A tad sedentary in some places when the effects of seagull cries and shattering glass smack of
having overdone it.
Recommended: A Bid Farewell, If Only ( Interlude)
Skrat – The Queen
Skrat's new album is the very epitome of unceasing tempo-laced flips of sounds. Machete starts off
with an explosive riff that jumps from one intoxicating lock-and-glitch arrangement to another,
without compromising on the unadulterated visions of alt rock. The Queen is an octane fuelled
invictus to cosmic haplessness and resulting delusion centering on the abstract 'Queen'. Choke &
Broke has a pale-punk glow, harkening back to an easy cynicism and almost comic questioning of
human relationships. Love Rider props itself on edgy guitar grooves that rumble with a whisper
of heavy bass just lurking underneath. Revolution is stormy and frantic, pummeling the ear with
layered guitars and bullet-like precision on drums. Sriram's voice enacts a strange combination
of lethargic rage which leaves a good taste in the ear. Favourite Song patters along to a rather
deceptively simplistic instrumental geometry which matches the verbal black humour. Full
Monty tastes mildly of late day Alice in Chains – swaying guitars, lazy drums that quicken without
warning and that early morning scraggly voice. Stomp lives up to its name with an aggressive
tonal progression and a gorgeous hook that tastes of good booze and bad decisions. Gun Slinger
II could easily serve as background score to a spaghetti western inspired anime (think Afro
Samurai) - angry but stylised, vicious but elegant. By the end of the album, there's very little you
want to do except hit reply or recommend it to a friend.
Unbelievably catchy riffs, witty, dark lyrics.
Nothing particularly out of the box for the band.
Recommended: Full Monty, Gun Slinger II, The Queen
42
The
Score Magazine
www.thescoremagazine.com