Categories : Electronica, Miscellany, Music Reviews.
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 Reviewer: Jon Roe |
Tony Simon (aka Blockhead), the producer for Aesop Rock, has put together a collection of moody soundscapes on his fourth solo effort, The Music Scene. Accompanied by a variety of samples, the back beat and percussion drive the tunes while quick, sparse melodies are introduced through a variety of instruments.
On repeated listens, though, it’s questionable whether this makes for a good album to sit and enjoy by itself, or if it’s best enjoyed as the background for other activities. There isn’t a lot here to grab you, and it flows together seamlessly. Not to say it’s boring, but it lacks the grip to be an experience in itself.
Perhaps the exception to this rule is ‘The Daily Routine,’ a much darker tune shadowed by clips of arguments spattered throughout. It’s difficult to listen to, and that’s probably the point. It’s also somewhat unexpected on an album with mostly calming overtones that are maybe slightly tinged with sadness, but at least serenely so.
Simon successfully conveys feeling throughout The Music Scene and maybe he’s showing us more of himself through these songs than he possibly could producing beats for Aesop Rock. At the end of it all, the album puts the responsibility on the listener to take away from it what they will.
