Solid Space – Space Museum

1982 • In Phaze Records

Solid Space is some relatively-obscure minimal wave outfit from the '80s who put out this album and then apparently disappeared. I suppose people have been discovering them lately, and I'm glad for that, because this is a fantastic album that definitely isn't getting all the appreciation it deserves.

Despite sounding very much like a generic lo-fi amateur proto-electronic Kraftwerk-wannabe record on the surface (it's almost as if first track is in there to weed out anyone who might be too dismissive), Space Museum is something more like a post-punk album that happens to often be synth-driven instead of guitar-driven. There's a bit of Joy Division and Talking Heads in there, so it will mostly sound pretty at-home for the average fan of this era of music, including the great pop-ish melodies in the vocals and chord progressions.

One of the best parts of the album is how it combines electronic and acoustic instruments in a brilliant and beautiful way, something you don't hear often in anything from this era. Things like acoustic guitars and bass, real drums, saxophone, and clarinet (O lord! that clarinet!) mesh perfectly with the sweeping oscillators and glitchy drums. It gives it a surprisingly organic feel to it, as these guys really know what instruments sound good together regardless of whether they are a traditional "fit" or not; these were some truly talented musicians.

Though this got a limited re-release a couple years ago, it is probably going to be hard to find a physical copy of; regardless, this is an album I highly recommend seeking out if it sounds even remotely interesting. Well-composed, well-executed, and worthy of attention. It's too bad they never made anything else, though.

The Art Effects – Insects

1988 • Zoi

We're dipping back into the realm of long-forgotten underground tapes today with The Art Effects' Insects, a very interesting piece of minimal synth and plunderphonics. There isn't much known about them save what's in the liner notes, but you don't need to know anything about an album to enjoy it, and I have to say I enjoy this.

It's definitely one of the more bizarre albums I've heard—songs range from nice, cheerful elevator / department store music to dark, sinister soundscapes, and everywhere in between. Most tracks have some sort of basic electronic drum beat, spoken word samples, and simple melodies, but it's tough to generalize as there's a lot to be found on both sides. The spoken word sections are mostly abstract or nonsense poetry, from what I can tell, though there are some bits that sound like they are sampled from films or television or interviews. They accentuate the creepy vibe already present in most of the tracks they're in.

It's tough to say judge the music itself, though; it's easy to be put off by the weird juxtaposition of murky noise and sound collage with more "typical" minimal electronic music. But I think that gives Insects a certain amount of charm, in a weird way—it's definitely unique, even if the music on it isn't particularly great on close listen.

Then again, I have a weird thing for finding oddities like this, and this is probably only going to appeal much to like-minded people who like to find this sort of ancient DIY music. So interpret that as you will.

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