Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0675848000224 Format: Import Label: Sulfur Records Manufacturer: Sulfur Records Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: Sulfur Records Release Date: 1999-07-06 Studio: Sulfur Records
Customer Rating: Summary: Interesting style, not completely listenable Comment: One thing that can be said for "Scanner" is that Robin Rimbaud's music does not fit neatly in any electronic subgenre. Just when a track has built itself into a hypnotic ambient repetition, a pulsing, percolated synth line or heavy beat will join the mix. Any element will be used to further the drama of the composition. Unfortunately, Rimbaud is clearly better at some styles than others, and certain parts of the album lose momentum and even occasionally sound amateurish.
The opener "Immemory", like all of the tracks, begins ambient, with soft drones and whispered voices. It feels like a dark room, smooth and cool. Some almost rave-like synths enter in startling but dramatic fashion, but the piece never truly becomes danceable. These first 3 minutes or so are excellent and completely effective, but after that a noisy, seemingly sampled beat enters the mix which loops awkwardly and monotonously for most of the rest of the 11 minute running time, during which the other elements seem to be recycled as well. Ouch.
The other long track on the album, "Lithia Water" (12 minutes), is also too long, and would have been much more successful as a 6 minute piece (in other words half of its current running time). I have no complaints about any of the ideas in this song, however. The odd, staggered bassline that drags slightly behind the frenetic beat is a stroke of genius and the main synth theme (composed of orchestral sounding chords) conveys a feeling of agitation remarkably well. The song is dense and chaotic in a very evocative way.
My complaints about the 2 above tracks would not be so significant if this album had more material on it. When an album has only 6 tracks, it's all the more important to make every minute, every idea count for something. Luckily, however, this is the point where my complaints end.
The remaining 4 tracks find Scanner mostly in ambient mode, albeit a quite nonstandard form of ambient, far from the 'space music' of artists like Lustmord and Steve Roach. These songs are built from subtle, vaguely melodic loops. Rimbaud shows here that he actually is a great producer, and creates sound environments masterfully.
"Passage de Recherche" is the album's highlight, a melancholy fragment of a classical piece echoing repeatedly into a landscape of bubbling dark spaciousness. "Sonnenlicht" is also a quality piece, beginning with thick bass tones and a subtle rhythm that reminds me of some of Autechre's mellower material. It's similar in structure to "Immemory" but without the distorted, intrusive drum samples, and not overlong in the slightest. "Ground Veil" is a short ambient piece that is effective, if not exactly memorable. It's based around dialogue samples and warbling, indistinct synth noise that creates a feeling of anticipation. "Vertical Line" is a heart-wrenchingly gorgeous, cinematic and orchestral end to an album that hardly feels like it deserves such an epic finale.
In conclusion, "Lauwarm Instrumentals" has some good material, but doesn't flow as an album well. I find myself wishing more ideas of the same kind already found here were included. As it is, were "Immemory" and "Lithia Water" shortened, it would make a kick ass EP that I would rate 4 or even 5 stars, but if I think of it as an album it feels incomplete.
I haven't heard any other Scanner, and based on the strength of some of these songs I might look into some of his other work at some point. Seeing as how cheap a lot of his stuff is on Amazon, I'd say check out something else he's done and hope it's more listenable than this. Rimbaud is obviously a talented and creative man, but "Lauwarm Instrumentals" as a whole is only alright. 3 stars. Customer Rating: Summary: rennacscanner Comment: I enjoy this CD of music by SCANNER. LAUWARM is a diverse collection of electronic music written and performed by Mr Robin Rimbaud. It is very interesting, and stays away from mainstream treatments, although pop gestures can be heard on IMMEMORY (bass & drum) and LITHIA WATER (frenetic synthesised drum track supporting extended melodies). I, for one, cannot understand how this could possibly qualify as "experimental" music as it lacks any semblance of a scientific method. Further, there is nothing on this CD that has not been perfected decades previous. I do enjoy PASSAGE DE RECHERCHE which is trance inducing because of the use of a cycle based on the rhythm of breathing. The most interesting piece to me is SONENLICHT. I like it because nothing happens until the drum track intrudes. Once it does, it is pretty much a standard electronic song. GROUND VEIL is the most interesting bit of elevator music I have ever heard. ;D If you are interested in captivating electronic music, this CD will interest you. Customer Rating: Summary: Abstract, electronic masterpiece Comment: Robin Rimbaud (Scanner, Scannerfunk) is without doubt the decade's most interesting electronic composer. An other hobby of his is radio-piracy, and tapping phone-calls; the latter can be heard on Rimbaud's 'opus magnum' - the Lauwarm Instrumentals. Strangely distorted conversations grasp your attantion while dark strings and disturbing beats spiral to a climax. The album is extremely moody, but doesn't bore and no track really resembles an other. Fans of experimental music will love this cd. Rimbaud has a unique style, which hangs somewhere between nu-beat and post-classicism ("Passage de Recherche") If you are into the avant-garde of modern music, this CD probably already is in your collection. If you would appreciate an unique musical experience, buy this CD. Customer Rating: Summary: A great album that will please fans of experimental music... Comment: Obviously, this isn't the kind of CD that you dance to. That being said, it's put together in a way that SHOULD make most, if not all electronic artists jealous: thoughtfully (though experimentally). Scanner's little fragments of conversations fit into the mix of different types of music and sounds: it's like the future soundtrack to a horror movie (or life in general)....
This is Scanner's most experimental work, and NOT the sort of work that most fans of 'music' with all of its constituent parts (i.e. rhythm, repeating patterns, a melody, etc.) are going to be down with. This album makes Aphex Twin and Autechre seem as accessible as the New Kids and Brittany Spears. But fans of purely experimental stuff-- bored people with open minds and a liking of technology, will get off on this stuff. It's dark, it's haunting, and it's worth your money. It's not the kind of stuff you go to sleep to...
