On the surface, it might look like magnétophone is another two-man electronic group following in the footsteps of others like the Propellerheads and The Crystal Method. But that assumption is proved wrong as soon as one hears their music.
The band’s latest release, “i guess sometimes i need to be reminded of how much you love me,” is their first on record label 4 A.D., which boasts other artists such as the Pixies and the Breeders. The two members, Matt Saunders and John Hanson, run old synthesizers through a multitude of various effects pedals to create music out of odd sounds.
If you were to take any one sound from a song and let it last only a second, you might think that it was the cry of a dying VCR or a computer connecting to the Internet. But when mixed together in the medley of songs on the album, sometimes the sounds are almost relaxing.
The 13 tracks vary from light to hard in texture, but the most interesting variations are in rhythm.
When you hear a song, you have an underlying knowledge it has a rhythm, but that rhythm is not always easy to pick out. Some songs are in 3/4 time, some in 4/4; one is even in 5/4, which is unusual in popular music. The rest of the time, the rhythm is indeterminate.
Those tricky guys in magnetophone will even fool you by establishing a steady rhythm and then disturbing it. When listening to the album for the first two times, I was constantly checking to see if the CD was skipping. So if you hate it when CDs get scratched, buy this album on the sole principle that you won’t be able to tell the difference.
The titles of the songs are another oddity. Names such as “humdah” or “how I learned to love the future” have nothing to do with anything and were created with a combination of Scrabble tiles and a Ouijia board. The band seems to be playing some joke, mocking the seriousness of musicians in the electronic industry.
It is true that with the growing popularity of electronic music, people are beginning to grow weary of artists who try to be too deep and meaningful. This band seems to be just a couple of guys who like to make fun music. The odd sounds and rhythms and even the title that they use to disturb and intrigue listeners are like little funny jokes.
The bottom line is that magnétophone has made an album that is multifaceted. You could sit down with your headphones and intently listen to the music, or you could have it be an ambient sound in the background. Either way, it is equally enjoyable.