Daedelus and his electronic gadgets have been busy. With the help of some eager elves, including raspy rapper Busdriver and a small horn section, he has cooked up a nice dish with his latest disc, Invention. All the ingredients are here: evocative samples, happening beats, quirky song titles, etc. Daedelus manages to spice things up, adding his own distinctive flavor, but holds back on that one last unnecessary sample. OK, enough with the cooking metaphors.
Daedelus' sample choice is mainly first rate, pulling from old Hollywood movie soundtracks, jazz and big bands, and is always accompanied by beats that twist the sound sources without subverting them. "Adventress," consisting of an elegant sample layered over a scittery jazzy beat, demonstrates Daedelus' considerable skill. Creating a synthesis out of somewhat disparate sounds, Daedelus' latest record will surely land on the play lists of art galleries and other hip gathering places throughout the land. Guest appearances tend to work well when they are carefully chosen, the use of Busdriver is no exception, however, his contribution to "Quiet Now" is a little tepid. Daedelus should continue to seek out collaborators and contributors, as they add some color to his formula.
Resisting current trends in electronic music, Daedelus comes across as somewhat of a purist. Having said that, a significant chunk of Invention doesn't entirely live up to its name, it all sounds a bit too familiar. While much of Invention follows well-marked paths, the album art and song titles are otherworldly, bringing to mind those days of prog rock and songs full of creatures taken from J.R.R. Tolkien, better known as the 1970s. Like many a Yes album, Invention could do with some careful editing. In the end, Daedelus finds himself sitting on the fence between accomplished electronic music and a land of musical treasures yet to be explored.
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