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Lauwarm Instrumentals
Sulfur/Beggars Banquet
Former cell phone voyeur, current museum gallery “intellectual” Robin Rimbuad comes forth with another offering for the music consumptive public. To anyone who doesn’t know, he doesn’t do scanned telephone calls on his recorded music anymore. The only voices here are the whispers that open the CD (isn’t it ironic that a CD entitled Instrumentals begins with a voice?) and a vocal sample on “Ground Veil.”
This will remind some of the more recent Coil works. Lots of varied beats and twisted fx permeate Lauwarm Instrumentals . Creaky electronic doors open and shut over chattering and twittering electronics. Weird lights in strange colors strobe all around you while someone plays a synthesized pipe organ in the background.
One thing about the disc: It is so damned sterile. I cannot detect a whiff of emotion, unintended distortion, or anything remotely close to soul. I’ve seen pictures of Rimbuad, and I can see no protruding wires or antennae. The worst thing is that I can’t decide whether that’s a complaint or a compliment. I guess I’ll just have to look harder next time.
Beggars Banquet, 580 Broadway, Suite 1004, New York, NY 10012; http://www.beggars.com
