Shreber Harber Mole Flying Wheel: Bloom
Rednetic

Though the EP's title might suggest ambient quietude, Shreber Harber Mole Flying Wheel's Bloom is anything but an, ahem, shrinking violet. In six synth-heavy pieces by Tokyo-based composer Saitoh Tomohiro (who, joined by former members Yamamoto Shinichiro and Kohno Nagahiro, issued the group's debut album, Air Comfort, on U-cover in 2004), blinding fluorescent tones blossom and gentle rhythm patterns bubble. It's rather strange that Tomohiro opts for a title like “Calm” when the song's vibrant tones and agitated percussive loops declare themselves so extrovertedly. Elsewhere, IDM synth patterns coil like smoke rings in the labyrinthine “Twisted,” loudly crackling transmissions are picked up from a distant galaxy during “Signals,” and percolating beats swish amidst shimmering tones in the jubilant closer “Nord.” Shreber Harber Mole Flying Wheel's Bloom is as pretty as the flower gracing the EP's cover.

January 2008