Rival Consoles - IO (Erased Tapes Records)

Rival Consoles' debut album, IO, comes as quite a surprise after the 'modern classical vs. breakcore' vibe of his last EP, Helvetica. Instead of the rather unique mix of piano and strings on top of drill 'n bass, IO offers up a heap of crunchy analogue synths and straight ahead techno beats. Once you've gotten over the surprise, what really makes IO stand out is Rival Console's "lust for catchy music", as Ryan Lee West - the man behind the music - put it himself in an Interview with Headphone Commute back in March. He really hit that one on the head. You couldn't ask for a more anthemic start than the troika of Milo, IO and 1985 that kicks off the album. The first few times I listened to the album, I couldn't make it past these three because I found myself going right back to the beginning to hear them again! The other defining feature of IO is the down and dirty sound. There's nothing fancy or refined about it. It's old school synth action - just your basic waveforms in all their gritty and distorted glory. Rival Consoles doesn't try to wow us with complexity, studio trickery or a smorgasbord of effects. IO stands and falls with the tunes. OK, admittedly track 7, PVAR, does feature some heavenly strings that pop up at just the right moment to sprinkle a pinch of pixie dust over the proceedings. But on the whole, the sound is uniformly bold and direct. It's not all "wave your hands in the air" on IO though. Midway through, the vibe gets weightier and boxier for a few tracks but picks up steam again as the end approaches. The penultimate track, Agenda, is the only one where West reverts back to the rapid skittering beats of the Helvetica EP. But then it's quickly on to rousing closer ARP, another techno barnstormer that quickly gets lodged in your brain and has you reaching for the "repeat" button. It may come as a surprise to find Rival Consoles' music sharing a home with Ólafur Arnalds and Peter Broderick on Erased Tapes Records. But the London-based label focuses on what it calls "Cinematic Pop Music" featuring a wide variety of genres and styles, ranging from neo-classical to post-rock. IO is obviously a very welcome addition to the mix.

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Original review posted by Tigon on Tigon World.
Republished with permission of the author.

myspace.com/rivalconsoles | erasedtapes.com

Rival Consoles - Helvetica (Erased Tapes)

From the label that brought you majestic modern classical music from Icelandic rising star, Ólafur Arnalds, comes a new installment in emotional... wait... what's this? My expectations for melodramatic orchestral stabs are shattered by explosive drums and drilling breaks. Completely unexpected and incredibly welcome, Rival Consoles catches me off guard with his cinematic progressions, which are complemented by breakcore elements a la Venetian Snares. And this is only after I hear a single track on  Erased Tapes Collection I, which is available as a free download from the label's website. And so I reach out for some more. Helvetica is Ryan Lee West's second EP on Erased Tapes released under the Rival Consoles moniker. In only four tracks, the record is enough to grab your attention with delicate classical piano arpeggios, IDM influences deriving from the catalog of Rephlex artists, with acid bleeps, breaks, and beats palatable to fans of the above mentioned V-Snares, Aphex Twin, and Boxcutter alike. Yes, I can honestly admit that I'm excited about this artist, because all of these cutesy frequencies are skipping right down my alley, past the puddles of tears and walls punched with mud. Playful, adventurous, and confident, the tracks produced with intricate attention to detail, are only a teaser for the things to come from this Leicester (UK) based producer. The 7-inch vinyl is quickly selling out (already out of stock on some places I checked), but is still available directly from the label; and then of course there is the [mandatory] digital release. Be sure to also get your hands on Rival Consoles debut release, The Decadent EP (Erased Tapes, 2007). And don't forge to pick up the label's digital showcase compilation, commemorating its 1st anniversary, where, besides the track that tipped me off, Ryan Lee West contributes a remix and yet another track under his alter ego, Aparatec. Remember, it's free! Jump on this wagon. Quick!

myspace.com/rivalconsoles | erasedtapes.com

Ólafur Arnalds - Variations of Static (Erased Tapes)

Pórhallur Gunnarsson hosts a popular Icelandic talk show, Kastljós. The show is broadcast six nights a week on a national television network. Almost a hundred thousand viewers tune in each night. That's about one-third of the population of Iceland, which is located in the North Atlantic Ocean just south of the Arctic Circle. The climate must be cold. My hands are cupped around a hot coffee mug; I'm halfway across the globe, sitting in my pajamas, waking up to the latest post on YouTube. In the clip that I'm watching, Gunnarsson opens up with an introduction in Icelandic, a language I don't understand. No matter. The music that follows requires no words. The show cuts to a boy sitting behind a grand piano. He is skinny and wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. Next to him is a string quartet. The camera zooms in on his hands. The boy plays a single melody composed of exactly six notes. In the background there is an echo of digital hiss. After an introduction of four repetitions, the quartet joins in. The accompanying harmony and chord progression is indisputably classical. But at about two minutes, the bass kicks in. The boy in a white T-shirt and jeans is a twenty-one year old Ólafur Arnalds. Born in a suburban Icelandic town, Mosfellsbær, he composes melancholic, emotionally fueled, and undeniably beautiful music. Ólafur studied piano when he was very young. After about a year of lessons, he decided to switch to drums instead. He kept his studies in drums up until two years ago, when he switched over again, this time adding classical theory and composition. Influenced by electronic, post-rock, and modern classical music alike, Arnalds incorporates various stylistic elements into his work. He seamlessly embraces contemporary symphonic composition and instruments but also makes use of electronic instrumentation. After I listened to Arnalds's 2007 debut, Eulogy for Evolution, I wanted to express my feelings and thoughts about it. Majestic, graceful, gorgeous and sublime are words that popped into my mind. But they are meager words when compared to the emotion in that music.

Read full Headphone Commute exclusive article:
ÓLAFUR ARNALDS : beautiful in the same way the arctic is…



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Ólafur Arnalds - Eulogy For Evolution (Erased Tapes Records)

Majestic, graceful, gorgeous and sublime are only the first few words that come to mind when I listen to Ólafur Arnalds’ debut on Erased Tapes Records titled Eulogy For Evolution. Iceland scores once again, with another composer feeling right at home with many instruments - piano, organ, and a melodica. Bring in the strings - cello, viola and violins - and you’ve got an acoustic ensemble for the melancholic sound easily compared among countryman Jóhann Jóhannsson and, of course, Max Richter. Just when you’ve slotted the chamber sound among the modern classical genre, Arnalds throws in some drums and all of a sudden you’re listening to progressive post-rock. The last pieces on the album are exceptionally emotional, starting off with a solo violin performance and building into a progression full of surprises - so I won’t ruin it here. I especially like how the piano recording is separated in the stereo field: the sound of key action preemptively heard in right channel, followed by the hammer striking the string in center, and the soft dull stomp of a pedal somewhere in the left. I rate the album with AAA - Astonishing Acoustic Aural experience. No wonder it showed up at the top of many Best of 2007 lists. Did you happen to miss it? Rapidly elevating to the highest ranks among the contemporary composers, twenty-year-old Ólafur Arnalds is definitely the name to watch in the upcoming years. A must in any collector’s library.

myspace.com/olafurarnalds | olafurarnalds.com
myspace.com/erasedtapes | erasedtapes.com