Recorded in one take? In a house? And its available entirely on soundcloud? OldEnuff2KnoBetta, is on one hand a gutsy and dangerous piece of music and on the other hand an incredibly free and un-fussed one. Existing fans of Blues Control will probably sink very easily into the quirky new mixtape from this duo that draws on their signature ambient, kraut-rock style – inspirations that focus mainly on repetition and interesting, new sounds.
Listen for rich piano, detuned shifted keyboards, cheesy synth strings, buried vocal samples, rolling drum loops, clipped and snipped drum samples. Listen for acidic basslines, warbling sounds, guitar feedback, things undefinable and simply lovely. Perhaps most interestingly, listen for great instrumental playing and rich harmonies – the piano performance here is just an endless source of great rhythmic ideas and interesting chords. This is an amazing document of two musicians improvising, responding and listening to each other in an incredibly tender and spirited way. Space here is shared and negotiated – it lacks a center and in that way is extremely democratic – a kind of a utopia.
Listen to this album for hypnosis. To be freaked out and scared. To feel excited and energized. For all of its ecstasy, OldEnuff, is at times deeply frightening. In certain moments it feels so dense with repetition and odd textures – so fragmented and disorienting rhythmically, so unexpected and jarring. Listen also to be lulled. Towards the end, things get much softer, much sleepier. “Pillowtalk” may feature some of the softest moments on the whole tape – at a point when the drums become less confrontational and the instruments move less. At once everything is still. Just sitting. Cycling quietly.
For all of its experimentation and dissonance, this mixtape still feels highly accessible and fun. We listened to these songs while we were making dinner the other night. What was originally a quiet room and with all of our faces down suddenly changed- everyone started moving gently in place. Our eyes lit up and our mouths formed a kind of harmless but wicked smile.
For something fun:
For something sleepy:
