Percolate (豆瓣)

表演者: M. Ostermeier
专辑类型: 专辑
介质: CD
发行时间: 2010-01-04
出版者: [ parvoart ] recordings

豆瓣评分

8.2

70人评价

5星

34.1%
4星

41.5%
3星

24.4%
2星

0.0%
1星

0.0%

想听在听听过

评价:

简介 · · · · · ·

　　Imagine those tense moments we go through in life when every word uttered only makes things worse and remaining silent is equally unbearable. Music can ease things up a bit. We all know the therapeutic effects music possesses. The dilemma is: what kind of music? If the objective is to destroy everyone involved in the argument, then perhaps a healthy dose of death metal would ... (展开全部) 　　Imagine those tense moments we go through in life when every word uttered only makes things worse and remaining silent is equally unbearable. Music can ease things up a bit. We all know the therapeutic effects music possesses. The dilemma is: what kind of music? If the objective is to destroy everyone involved in the argument, then perhaps a healthy dose of death metal would do the trick. Or if we want the tension to increase until everyone kills themselves, how about some Ben Frost? Through personal experience, the music needs to be mellow so as not to elevate any negative emotions, but not mellow enough to drift in the background. A perfect example is M. Ostermeier’s Percolate.
　　In the seven tracks that comprise this mini album the audience is offered glimpses into Ostermeier’s stream of consciousness. The mood varies, but the instrumentation remains somewhat unchanged, featuring mainly piano, soundscapes, and minimalistic beats. The album as a whole flies by due mainly to the very short track lengths peaking at twenty minutes. This in itself is quite an oddity when looking at the usual lengths of ambient tracks or albums. One might even say that this entire mini album is equal to the length of a typical ambient track. This is in no way a bad thing. There is no manual that says any ambient track would only be good if it’s X minutes long. The beauty of experimenting with art is that the artist has all the space in the world to do whatever he or she likes. It is Ostermeier’s choice to keep the tracks as short as they are, and as an audience we should respect that. Does it work? To an extent it does, but also to varying degrees.
　　Amongst the piano and ambient soundscapes are scarce offerings of Labradford-esque guitar lines (a band Ostermeier is very fond of) and minimal electronic beats. This formula is best executed in the track “Clockwork,” by far the most memorable song on the album. As opposed to the basic piano lines that formulate the skeleton of the rest of Percolate, this track is built around a very simple line of guitar, Ostermeier's instrument of choice with former band Should. It is apparent that he's more comfortable playing guitar, and he is more successful in channeling his thoughts through it, solidifying the track. The rest of the tracks could be better described as “mood music,” but the atmosphere ends with the ending of the album itself. It’s a joy while it lasts, but a joy that lasts for a very short time, and that could be frustrating for some listeners.
　　Unfortunately, the beats often feel totally negligible, giving the feeling that the tracks might have been better off without them. Murcof is one of the best minimal electronica artists around, and for good reason. He has the ability to project his emotions with minimal effort, and his tracks are extremely well thought out, as evidenced on Remembranza. Ostermeier fails to completely express emotions in a number of tracks, and the electronics could be held guilty for that on several occasions. The main difference is that Ostermeier’s beats aren’t as thought provoking. They seem a bit rushed, forced into the tracks at points. Anyone who has taken a stab at creating electronic music through Ableton Live, Reason, or any other DWA knows how easy it is to create beats. There is nothing to it really.
　　As a whole, this album is a very easy listen, one that could be listened to over and over without ever feeling bored. It moves fast, delivers a point in one way or another, and simply ends. While the electronic bits on Percolate are a tad annoying, listeners will be happy to know Ostermeier improved his music vastly on his second release Lakefront which was released just three months later.
　　-Mohammed Ashraf