There's an elephant in the room. Ingenious coercion with the right amount of Cocteau leaves me black & white & bruised all over. This is "difficult" pop music. Which could mean that it's best left well alone, but probably only means that it should be left until after 2pm. Whatever your persuasion, this is a record that resists interpretation, defies any sort of tangible rhythm/loop relationship, and still leaves space for a reaction. Know The Situation is absorbing Avant-techno in my book, but complex Hyper-pop in his.
The whole SEVENTY-THREE MINUTES -- yes, that's right; this thing takes an hour and a quarter, which is possibly good value for money, but more likely indulgence that makes the damn thing irritating after about a half hour unless you provide it undivided attention. Where was I? The whole seventy-three minutes manages to suppress and restrict its/my/your desire for satisfaction in the tension/climax/suspense/release spectrum like the best postmodernist literature. Which is impressive if that sort of thing impresses you. Not always particularly enjoyable, but definitely interesting. (The only sentence you need to remember from this review.)
While I remain fascinated by the idiosyncratic attitude to composition and structure going on here, by the obviously uninhibited, noise-loving experimentation, the (I am assuming deliberate and informed) decision to deny almost all of these tracks any sense of their ever going anywhere leaves me with a profound sense of aimlessness and incoherence. Echoes of Kraftwerk synths, Autechre percussion, and Team Doyobi stuttering creep in before creeping out again, which allows for a fun theory on existentialist futility expressed through music if you're in the mood; but after an hour of this you almost certainly won't be. I'm not.
This record is too long, too indulgent, suffers from a lack of direction beyond the initial sparks of ideas, is rarely satisfying, and generally smacks of worthwhile experimentation passed off as something more substantial. On the other hand, it has fantastic song titles, which come entirely out of the blue from an artist calling himself Doofgoblin. Less superficially, there are genuinely interesting approaches to layering, juxtaposition, and experimental electronic composition. Some of which is not only interesting but also fantastic. Not always particularly enjoyable, but definitely interesting
1. Carrot Jab
2. Stove Hot
3. Cake Mac
4. Gardensend
5. Crawdaddy
6. Saxident Jazz Diaper
7. Fun In The Sun
8. Alldeigh
9. Timber
10. Duermle Unnerchyle
11. Ticks And Chiggers
12. HungerSweats
13. The Days As Of Late
14. Sonte Tone
15. Forfla
16. Elephant In The Room
17. I Miss You Allreadeigh
More about: Doofgoblin
