String Theory: Radiovalerian
Wobblyhead

The electronic stylings of String Theory (Josh Davison and Nathan Tucker) first emerged in 1999 with the release of the group's SMAK 03/04 12-inch on Skam. The full-length Anhedonia followed and is now joined by the latest chapter Radiovalerian. Apparently, it's a vinyl release accompanied by a CD version that includes an extra track, the dub-funk head-nodder “Honey-top,” recently issued as part of the Frank Wobbly & Sons limited 7-inch series.

Davison and Tucker produce an accessible brand of electronic music, one that's almost retrograde in the innocence of its approach. To their credit, they create a mellower and not unwelcome style of digi-dub; the album's ten tracks are all expertly presented, performed, and produced and the duo admirably resists the lure of DSP-related indulgences.

There's a significant downside to this approach, however. All of the material is inarguably good, from the delicately unfurling ambient patterns and pulsating rhythms of “The Art Of The Draw” to the warped tones that bleed over lurching beats and curdling bass lines in “Eugelab.” But the album sounds too polite and contained, and consequently not compelling enough to inspire excitement. “Don't Fear The Reverb,” for instance, is well-executed digi-dub which threatens to take flight but remains earthbound; with its warm organ chords and crunchy beats, the Basic Channel-influenced “Frau Milette, Crater” is similarly well-crafted but it too fails to reach a broil (though it constantly seems on the verge of doing so). One track in particular, “Satellite,” an insistent slice of reverberant microhouse warmed by glimmering chords, does reach that level and is all the more satisfying for doing so.

Radiovalerian ultimately registers as a good but unspectacular collection, a shame given that the potential for it to be stronger is there, waiting to be exploited. A little less restraint in this case would produce more dynamic results.

December 2004