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Crix Crax
Crux: Camel and Needle
Hmmmin terms of albums leaping out and grabbing you by the throat on first listen, this one did not quite do it. But after spinning it a few times and giving it a few solid chances, this one began to slowly shine. I must admit that I was a bit turned off at first and was about to write a not-so-stellar review; then I decided I was cranky and tired, not the album. So I went to bed. You see, this is not a surface album, you cant scrape along the top of it and form your assumptions there, because peeling back the wavering vocals and tinny guitar reveals a bit more depth. Borrowed noises and panning waves criss-cross the otherwise lethargic mood. Crix Crax Cruxs new album slides its way to a start and immediately begins a lo-fi swirl of bells and gentle, washing organ noises. His distant, echoed voice drones forward bedded in a rolling undercurrent of melancholy dream-pop. At this point, the feeling is a bit directionless and uninspired, but such is the way of the drone I suppose. This isnt quite as instrumentally shoegazer as it is computer-driven folk-noise experimentation. At times his voice comes across as an unsure Colin Meloy (the Decemberists) or Jason Molina; hes got that folksy Irish slur, laden with abstract wanderings. Each track might not have the best start, middle or finish, but what each track does have is something buried deep within, something lurking, something that draws the listener along, a bud of something right and beautiful. From space-encompassing art-folk to soulful garage stomp to 70s psychedelic spun instrumental and hip-hop, this album has its differences but is fully coherent and consistent. Get Fooled (Again) is my personal favorite, but the following track Threading It, might be the most solid and driven. The former of the two is the soulful excursion into rock n roll as mentioned above. However, the latter is a spacey reinterpretation of hip-hop complete with static noise, distorted, panning keys, wah wah drenched guitar and even a high-pitched flute noise somewhere off in the distance. Though this doesnt even come close to the number of layers on the track, its a good start. All in all, this a good inspiration piece for all those four-track twiddlers and computer tweekers in the lo-fi DIY business or mentality. Personally, Ive always been a fan of analog (to get a bit snobby), and I feel some is lost in the digital realm. Id be curious to see what Ben Crix could do strictly with a four/eight-track, minus the computer mixing. The creative spark could be fanned and kindled a bit more on songwriting, but the amazing innovation hides in the layers, movements, distant noises and samples. There is definitely an interesting three-dimensional quality to the music if you check it out on headphones.
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