Venetian Snares – Fool the Detector

March 5, 2012 • Timesig

Venetian Snares is keeping as prolific as usual—here's his second EP this year. I know plenty of people accuse him of going steeply downhill in the last few years, and I suppose I can sort of understand, but to me Fool the Detector is just as fine as the rest of his recent output. (Take that as a good or bad thing if you will.)

This has got to be some of the most complex electronic music I've heard lately, if nothing else. The music draws from all different realms of old Snares—there are dark atmospherics akin to My Downfall, rapid-fire glitches and cut-up melodies like heard on Huge Chrome Cylinder Box Unfolding. It's hard to say whether such complexity is a good thing—though it's worked in the past, to be sure—as often it can become too difficult to follow what's going on.

However, I am really enjoying the dancy pseudo-techno beat on "Index Pavilion". The straightforward kick beat complements the chaotic tune well and it'd be neat to hear more IDM-style stuff like this from Venetian Snares. "Fool the Detector" also shows that the magic is still there when it comes to string arrangements (as I mentioned above).

To any fan, Fool the Detector is definitely nothing new, and (like most Snares EPs) probably something to pass over. But it still has its merits; even though it's nothing extreme or unique or mind-blowing it's still okay. Personally I don't think it holds up to most of his other stuff but that doesn't mean it's not worth a casual listen.

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