What does it sound like?:
Writing about electronic music. A bit like dancing about architecture. With your rock/pop/country/rap you’ve got song structures, vocal styles, lyrics, band dynamics and lots of juicy analogue stuff to get into. Where to start with an album like Bicep? There’s no lyrics, and only one vocal on the very last track (it gets significantly less interesting the more their tracks aspire to songs). Let’s start with what we can quantify. There are two of them, and they come from a label/blogging/DJing background though have been making music since 2011. Bicep by Bicep offers twelve tracks of 4-6 mins in length. I found a track of their on my Spotify Discover playlist and delved further.
It’s my electronic album of the year (so far). Firstly, it keeps it simple. Each track is built up quite deliberately of layers of drums, bass and keyboards. There’s never too much going on to pick out each individual element. Sometimes a very sampled vocal note floats around, and there’s always a strong melodic presence. Tempo is very consistent and there’s no huge drops or builds. All of that might be hiding away in remixes, but on the album things are consistent, controlled, detailed.
And it’s all in the detail. Each drum pattern, synth wash and sample enter and exit at exactly the right times to contribute to the atmosphere and development of the track. Very rarely is the beat a standard 4/4. There’s a kick of big beat, and a shuffle of drum and bass behind many of the rhythms. All however is filtered and toned for listening rather than dancing.
There are moments that recall artists like Four Tet in squelchy bass and glitchy rhythms, and one track that reaches beyond any dance music to recall the hypnotic shifts of Steve Reich of Marimba Phase and Drumming. Each track is a self-contained musical world, while also being part of a satisfying musical whole.
What does it all *mean*?
Listen without prejudice. In an age when everything is trailed and analysed pre-release, its possible to still discover artists about whom you know nothing.
Joy through repetition.
Goes well with…
Walking. Too subtle and restrained for running. Working.
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
Headphones, sounded great on mine.
moseleymoles says
Some glitchy stop-start off-kilter melody magic. This is the track that spoke to me on Spotify.
Tiggerlion says
Very nice. Video isn’t very appealling though. I like my Electronica with some evidence of a human presence, a sense of place and a narrative. This has all three, even though it lacks drama.
I always find it difficult to describe electronica. Well done for capturing the essence of this album. I miss @poppy-succeeds.
retropath2 says
Lovely stuff. As an alien explorer in electro genres I love this sort of deceptively simple layered sequencing.
moseleymoles says
@retropath2 whole album is as good as that, and I got through the whole review without using the word ‘minimal’ once.
H.P. Saucecraft says
On the list – thank you. Although my own parameters for “electronic music” are stretched a bit by “Each track is built up quite deliberately of layers of drums, bass and keyboards.”
mikethep says
I’m not sure I’m entirely convinced by this new “I love electronic music, me” Saucecraft. I think you may be playing some devilish game…
H.P. Saucecraft says
I’ve been listening to it since Zero Time, A Rainbow In Curved Air, Gandharva, Silver Apples Of The Moon, Hymnen … nearly five decades, then. A flicker of the eyelid to you, but most of my life. I “got back into it” with Tangerine Dream/Krautrock, then Aphex Twin, who I still consider to be some kind of genius. There’s a lot of it happening right now, and I find it on the whole to be a more interesting area to explore than guitar-based songcraft. If I look at my iTunes “recently added”, it’s nearly all electronic music. I listen to it on my iPod Nano-Thingie (the tiny little one with the touch screen), at night mostly, or while I’m writing.
I’m listening to Bicep as I type – it’s not the area of electronic music I prefer (which doesn’t have any beats – a major distinction), but it’s slipping down a treat.
mikethep says
OK, credentials established, snarky accusation withdrawn. You’re on your own though.
*edit* having said which, I do rather like The Books. A bit of wit…but then they do use acoustic instruments as well.
Kid Dynamite says
Good review, and you’re not the first person who’s recommended this one to me. I’ve given it a few spins, and I’m sorry to say I’m not sure I get the love. It’s a bit…Royksopp, isn’t it? Pleasant enough, but nothing really sticks.
retropath2 says
It is a bland and enjoyable enough easy listening, having given the whole my ears. But, as I see it is on e-music, I will give it the 6 listens and buy, if only because, for once of late, the Mrs Path said it was OK, (Bout bloody time)
mikethep says
So is easy listening not Matt Monro any more?
Kid Dynamite says
Heard the new Shpongle, retro? On one listen I’d say it’s promising, if overlong.
retropath2 says
Potters off to investigate…….
moseleymoles says
I would say it is easy listening, in the sense that it’s not Autechre or Aphex Twin, but IMHO the detailing, layering and control make it subtle rather than bland.
Kid Dynamite says
They are busy lads – there was a new EP out yesterday
https://feelmybicep.bandcamp.com/
Mike_H says
You may or may not be interested to know that Bicep are appearing at Oval Space in London’s trendiferous Hackney on December 30th. Apparently they’re from Wales.
There’s nice!
https://ovalspace.co.uk/