Prhizzm: Prhizzm EP
Benbecula

There are enough whirrs, bleeps, and clanks on this 26-minute set from Toronto-based Prhizzm (pronounced “prism”) to satisfy the most devout IDM fanatic, but what distinguishes Brendan Dellandrea's six-track EP most is his attention to melody, specifically dark themes that snake through swirling arrays peppering each song. It's the brooding, melancholy melodies anchoring “Grasping the Equinox,” for example, that one remembers more than the dense array of spindly clatter, squelches, and dubby smears, while writhing noises in “Minutiae” don't weaken the punch of the funk beats and Motown-flavoured breaks that emerge near song's end. Though influenced by Mouse on Mars, Orb, and Pink Floyd, Prhizzm's music evidences little of their signatures (aside from its similarly spacey aura), but instead carves out a dense—at times too dense—sound all its own. If there's a weakness, it's his occasional penchant for layering a song to a smothering extreme. In contrast, consider how satisfying “Empty Your Mind” sounds when a lightly skipping beat and simple moog melody appear minus the encumbrance of other accompaniment. All Prhizzm needs to do is let his tracks breathe a bit more so that their core strengths can be fully exposed.

April 2005