Robots and Electronic Brains Review

Robots and Electronic Brains
Issue 15

(Fanzine with 5 record label sampler CD)

I love Robots and Electronic Brains.

I have no idea where the name for this excellent fanzine comes from, and I’ve been a subscriber to it for a good few years now, but it works incredibilly well as with each issue, you get a wealth of reviews mostly from CDR / independent labels, most of which are so independent - the only way you will be able to track down their good is if you contact them directly, and that is always a good thing.

Following such an approach, it has resulted in me with 4 interviews with various groups, all gained directly through reviews with Robots and Electronic (The frightening Guitare Brothers, the brooding Trilemma the slightly more lo-fi Japhy Ryder and the Indie-ish Horowitz), and I always look like to reading the magazine, which in this case also featured an excellent Trilemma interview, which is very different from their Setting Sun interview, but great fun to read still.
Also enclosed with the magazine was a free 5 record label CD, which is great fun to listen to as it always focuses on a various of these such independent record labels and serves as a excellent introduction to some of these labels.


First up on this CD is Abaton Book Company, which seems to mix influences from Indian classical singing (Veena Sahassrabuddha), a singing Russian Poet (Julia Vorontsova), the P.J.Harvey-ish (Marrianna Nowottay) among others which frequently made me feel like I was listening to music in literally another world… Very interesting in places at worst and first rate at it’s best.

Next which I really enjoyed in particular is Earsinger, which among their two artists here on offer was a lot more floaty and seemed to go a lot closer to Shoegazy music from the early 90’s like Chapterhouse and Slowdive on "Hi Lonesome Electric" and computerised vocals on "Cracklebox" - both of which are well checking out as they also kind off reminded me of the infamous KLF album "Chill out"…. Excellent.

After that we have Sweden’s "My Secret Garden" which is a much lo fi label with my favourites being to the lo-fi experimental folk of "Fibi Frap, the haunting "Evergreen Day (which I think Setting Sun will be contacting) and Erik Hallden, which according to the notes was recorded in a cabin by the sea, and actually sounds like it was almost like Orange Juice / Nick Drake expect slightly more muffled. Good stuff.

Sonic Arts Network in contrast is something completely different in contrast to all of the first three labels following electronic improvision rather than the bliss pop of Earsinger or the charmingly lo fi pop of "My Secret Garden".

I must admit I didn’t enjoy all off it, as I think with a lot of that sort of stuff it is really open to your own mood and personal taste, but I did particularly enjoy personally the Kaffe Matthews section which contained some very interesting sounds which made me want to listen to the full set.

"The Starclub" section was the last label featured and for me was the most difficult bit to listen to, as like with Sonic Arts Network it seemed to follow a similar sort of experimental path, but like with Sonic Arts, I must admit I didn’t enjoy really, but did it find it interesting at least, even if it wasn’t really my cup of tea.

On the whole, like the magazine - the CD is not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but if you like your music to be a little wilder and unsusual - I would certainly recommend you check out this CD.

It certainly beats "The Wire" by a good yard or two, which is the nearest mainstream magazine to this.