MARUMARI * The Wolves Hollow * Carpark
http://www.discogs.com/Marumari-The-Wolves-Hollow/master/137917
I can't understand why FACT felt it was reasonable to leave out Marumari entirely from the recent top 100 IDM track-list when Carpark Cohort Casino Vs. Japan was allowed into the roster and less notable tracks from other artists made some pretty high positions:(http://www.factmag.com/2014/09/22/the-100-greatest-idm-tracks-100-51/).
Brother-sister duo Marumari are often overlooked and I can sympathise with why. Overall tracks have a nice aesthetic but releases often lack a killer factor (such as Ballad of the Round ball) sometimes sounding like generic slightly characterless tunes or with nothing to say (this is still quite a harsh criticism that I feel the group on the whole don't deserve.) Part of the "second wave american "IDM" revival", The Wolves Hollow flys totally in the face of this assertion, blending great moments of glitch, pop, Trip-hop industrial and experimental sounds into something that sounds genuinely polished and original, a rare feat indeed. This album is super wacky, being a concept album about an alien species of space wolves from Pluto that harvest cows brains for a giant computer which controls the planet. The earth wolf species discovered the alien species being first picked up on young Presseisen wolfs ham radio and in the ensuing "war of the wolves" the plutonian wolf was eradicated passing their musical history in the form of this album, to one day, be decoded and released on Carpark so that all men could hear their wisdom............who knows what they were smoking when they came up with that one. The track names reflect this story and are actually quite funny... I never thought for once in my life I would recommend listening to a song called "Birth of the Cub Cyborg".... but I do! The track being a weird Trip Hop bleepy happy romp through a world of various mashed up, scratched up animal grunt and squeels, made into a beat. This album has a sodding vast amount of animal grunts.. but is more funny that annoying.. the album even start with REEEAAALLY creepy screaming howling wolves for a good minute before descending into an actual song.. enough time for your neighbours to get scared and ring the police or to make every child at your daughters 5th birthday party cry... what ever effect you would be going for really. That said, the song it turns into is F*cking Fantastic and should have easily made FACTS list.. many argue that this is the best track of the album... and they would probably be right...not through any fault of the other tracks... just that this one is really great.. have a listen below.
Other tracks are very experimental and sound like something that may have frequented a Hardcore DEVO B-side... in this vein "transport sequence earth" could maybe, just maybe, be loosely called, industrial ambient jungle glitch, but when you get into bullshit tags like that it descending into the realms of pretentious f*ckwittery. Many tracks are very lilting and laid back, especially the last few on the album becoming very BOC-esque on the last track This overall makes for a very nice journey and poignant finish. My only complaint with this album, is that some of the tracks are too short... "Carniverous Temptations Part 1", a case in point... "Part 2" doesn't really follow the riff of the first part, which sadly whilst being TOTALLY sonically kick-arse, and is only slightly followed up at the end of the first side in "another sphere was plundered"..."War of the wolves" is also too short.. there's plenty of pressing space left on the wax so it's not like Marumari was tight on space...
I have a soft spot for groups that keep it in the family (pretty rare in the music industry), whether it be the Hartnol brothers in Orbital or all of the current touring members of Ozric Tentacles. I have always share quite a close musical connection with my own sister and feel that usually this rare occurrence in an act allows the audience to see something really personal into another's life through the music and to re-connect with their own feelings of family... yes I am a sentimental bastard.
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
The Wolves Howl
War of the Wolves
Music 5.5: God's Azolla / Life Through Multicoloured Boxes / No Label
If you too are a sentimental bastard, and like/love/breath ambient techno... or have been following this BLOG loosely for a while, check out my own new album "Life Through Multicoloured Boxes" available through soundcloud for free download. I am not currently on any label, but with some improvement.. never say never... who wouldn't want to be on SKAM right? (If anyone from SKAM sees this, *hint hint, wink wink*).
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