Alva Noto – Transform

A moment of confession: I am usually not into this stuff at all, and this was my first ever encounter with Alva Not, and...
I was totall blown away! By what? It's not like this is a maximal, full blown electronic music experience. All the more, the awe I was left in was even greater.
How do I describe this?
Full of glitches, just sounds, deep bass lines, effects and noisy segments. It is ambient, but then it is not, it is perfect background music, but on the other hand it has more than enough going on to command your full attention, it is minimal without a doubt, but just how much do you think you can absorb from something apparently so bleak?
I don't like any track more than the other, it's more of a sit right through it listening experience for me. And the album works best that way. My guess is that you don't need to be in any particular mood to appreciate this, as you're better off letting Noto's arrangements, meticulously implanted sequences of skillfully crafted sound take you there.
I apologize if my words did not fully convince you, but my current enthusiasm outweights my linguistical capabilities, but hopefully you will be open minded enough to give it a try, and get exposed to yet another approach to state of present electronic music.

Complete digital abstraction from Alva Noto on his album TRANSFORM. I'm not exactly sure what he's transforming, but the contrasting high and low tones that preface the rhythmic thrums of "M 01" suggest it's sound itself. The computerized soundscapes that emerge on the album reject traditional notions of melody; instead, it embraces a sense of pure sound. So even though you may imagine a night time scene with crickets while listening to "M 03," the composition leaves itself open to interpretation. The click rhythms of "M 04" impose an appealing structure to the track, and the symphony of buzzing on "M 05" almost become song-like. The bits of harshness in "M 08" harken back to the good ol' days of industrial, while "M 09" almost sounds like Autechre, but less dense. The overall effec is -- needless to say -- chilly to the extreme, but the cerebral nature of the music itself justifies the coldness.

Beside the rather unknown "Spin" album this certainly is the most accessible of all Noto / Alva Noto-releases and at the same time definitely one of his best. Finally he relaxes and allows himself (and us, of course) to listen only to his brilliant tracks. Here are once no concepts to understand, no art-backgrounds to see through, just sit down and hear some of this excellent music for fun. Great fun.