A Gilbert Play
Self-Titled
(Dreamboat)
The music of A Gilbert Play floats around and blurs lines between several different genres. It's not quite post rock and it's not quite electronic either, but it takes elements from each and blends them into an enjoyable mixture on this 13 track, 45 minute debut release. The best way to describe the music may actually be to call it music for a film that hasn't been made yet. That's something that's been said about a lot of instrumental music of the post rock, variety, but it especially holds true on this release.
"Luma" opens the disc with a subdued beat and stealthy keyboards while little clicks and whirs pop up in the mix. You can almost see the opening credits rolling as the wheels are set in motion. "Swampy Head Swing" continues the swagger as the deal goes down with a smooth bassline and some eerie synths before the whole thing shifts gears into a slow-motion funk. Ah! Perhaps the deal goes bad, which leads us into the perfect chase-sequence music of "Nicko-Ticko Tinn Och Jag" as multiple pings and pongs richochet down a dark alley with gurling keyboards closing in quickly.
The music is greatly varied over the course of the album, yet never loses track of a somewhat warm feel that every song has. There's never too much feedback, and while the beatwork is sometimes complicated, it's never overly glitchy or frantic. "Run Run Run" is just what the title suggests, a track made for rolling back the top on the car while soft guitar melodies play off one another and build over breathy percussion.
With titles like "The Egg Timer" and "Agent Vilse," my explanation of this being music for an unmade spy movie might be closer than I realize. Heck, the former track would be perfect as a backdrop for the protagonists rushing into a building as they try to frantically find the bomb before it levels the place. Having said the above, the music isn't just background sounds. It's nicely constructed, and while it could use a little bit more in terms of dynamic and instrumental changes, it works well as a whole and is definitely a solid little debut from this Swede.
Rating: 7
