Anyone historically minded enough to have purchased Coldcut's now-classic Journeys By DJ: Coldcut - 70 Minutes Of Madness (Ninjatune, will surely recognize its now oft referenced tag line, "A journey through sound." Sampled from some old BBC symphonic LP compilation, originally recited by some crusty stiff upper lip type in bowler cap and tweedy garb, "a journey through sound" seemed to sum up the ‘90s electronica movement's penchant for sampling anything that moved. Fast forward to the late ‘00s, and sampling is as expensive as gasoline, but the spirit of sampling remains.

Baltimore, Maryland's Greg Malcolm and Boulder, Colorado's Chad Mossholder comprise Twine. And if the album cover doesn't give you a clue, with its peeling paint and look of abandoned brownstone real estate, then we can spell it out: Twine inhabits a musical no man's land, an ethereal, ghostly plane where a reverb box, dulcet female vocal and chasm like, yawning atmospheres make for truly head spinning tunes.

Apparently, Twine collaborates via the net, and have never even shared actual physical space. And why bother? Back in the day (‘90s again), the most sophisticated piece any DJ punter could own was a Roland sampler, but today, that's nothing. With super fast cable and a massive hard drive you can connect and load files (and MP3s!) across the globe instantaneously. Twine's music recalls some theater of the air, their swirling melodies and disembodied female vocals intimating both heaven bound angels and wailing, demented demons.

"Their collaboration is held in the virtual realm and their music contains a mysterious and unresolved quality," boasts the PR blather, and I must agree. Violets (Ghostly International) follows the duo's 2006 release, Surfaces.

Twine's 1999 debut Reference created a healthy buzz for the duo, resulting in ‘02s Recorder. (A vinyl only release, Circulation, found its way via Sweden's ultra cool Komplott label in '01). A self titled Twine release arrived from Ghostly International in ‘03, followed by the online-only 2006 release Surfaces.

"From Memory" is practically wordless, though vocals do exist. But they're caught up in the song's gleaming soundscape, refracting light forms and gorgeous dissonance. "Small" suspends ringing electric guitar over a romantic thundering rainstorm; "Endormie" blossoms with glitch beats and lush female vocal harmonies; "Halo" goes the abstract route with what sounds like a grandfather clock chiming against a dying, wheezing refrigerator motor.

File under Cocteau Twins, Fennesz, Hinterland:

Twine
"From Memory" (mp3)
from "Violets"
(Ghostly International/SMM)

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The Pinker Tones'--Wild Animals: Along with that other mad Nacional Records act, Bostich and Fussible, I just can't get enough of the Pinker Tones. This Barcelona collective combine advanced electronica theorems with simply inane beats and pieces.

"The Whistling Song" rocks over a silly two beat giggle, topped with the Pinker Tones' warm harmony vocals and nutty, folk laced melody and cheesy keyboards. I hear Engelbert Humperdink, Neil Diamond, Wayne Newton, Sammy Davis in "Candy Man" mode, the Macarena song, Brewer and Shipley, War, Hoyt Axton, and even Prez Prado and Louis Prima.

"Happy Everywhere" apes Herb Alpert, a smoky trumpet rising above an oily beat, Chic atmospherics, David Arnold production and Pet Shop boys-meets-ABC styled lyric profundity (not!).

Like Bostich and Fussible, The Pinker Tones restore a sense of fun and melodic gaiety to pop sounds with their fragrant folk based music. Hear Hear!

The Pinker Tones
"The Whistling Song" (mp3)
from "Wild Animals"
(Nacional Records)

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The Pinker Tones
"Happy Everywhere" (mp3)
from "Wild Animals"
(Nacional Records)

More On This Album