Customer Reviews

Invention

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I've heard most everything Daedelus has done thus far over his short, but prolific career; and I must say, I keep returning to "Invention." It's one of those special albums made from pure inspiration, stunningly realized. High praise? Yes, but deserved. Daedelus is one of the most creative samplers since DJ Shadow. Not that he's stylistically related to DJ Shadow in a big way, but he's something of a genius at taking old recordings and finding fascinating ways to put them together.

It's sometimes difficult to tell where the existing recordings leave off and his synthetic backups begin, but in the end it doesn't really matter. It's about creating something new out of something old. I'm continually impressed by the way he's able to fit disparate elements together so well. Even though he periodically finds a less than perfect match and we get a sort of unstable tonal relationship between the two, it's mostly spot on.

The most interesting aspect of Invention is that it sounds so different from so much of the electronic music we're used to hearing - even in the realm of the so-called IDM. "Astroboy" has the magical wonder of a children's fairy tale while "Adventees" has a sentimentalism that has just enough irony to avoid coming off as saccharin.

Considering how accessible and *fun* this album is, I recommend this to any fan of electronic music. This may also be an way for new listeners to transition into electronic music without diving headfirst in something more challenging like Aphex Twin or Autechre. Check it out, and enjoy.

Probably not someone that is known to a lot of people, due to his releases being both low key & 2 albums & an EP. But don't let that dissuade you from investigating further, as Daedelus, has more ideas in one album, then some artists can muster across three. "Pursed Lips Reply" is Electronica by way of `Four Tet'....looped chimes converge with Violin strokes to melodious effect. "Astroboy" is a spoken word monologue to a gentle nursery rhyme-esque chime. For an album that is predominantly featuring no vocals (apart from the last two tracks), the rolling Jazz-styled drum rolls of "Loaded" show how Electronic music doesn't have to be resigned to simple samples. Parts beautifully cinematic, part toe tappingly beat heavy, part completely experimental....Daedelus finds worthy comparisons alongside similar acclaimed artists "Four Tet" & "Prefuse 73".

This is one of the most consistently inspiring albums I've heard in the last few years, of any genre. Daedelus uses samples in a way that very few know how. His choices might be called eclectic, but never forced or pretentious, never simplistic. Really, "eclectic" is an unfair description. This album is definitely focused, but from a wide view. Bass clarinet, flute, bells and accordion are integrated into a broad patchwork of samples from all over. Cinematic, thoughtful, danceable, even emotional at times, worthy of close listening.

This CD can compliment so many states of mind its incredible. The CD is an eclectic mix of electronica (downbeat) and avant garde reminisecent of the 1920s with even a little Spoken Word. The tracks exert such a sense of intricacy and detail, tastefully blending the multiple genres. The last two tracks (Quiet Now and Pursed Lips Reply) feature two independent hip hop artists: Busdriver and Sach. Both compliment the tracks exquisitely, its a beautiful homeostasis. The music doesn't distract you from the lyrics and the lyrics dont distract you from the music. Very well done, a wonderful blend of old and new.

I listen to Daedelus' 'Invention' when I'm cooking in tomorrow's kitchen. As I mix up the key lime pie filling, Daedelus mixes up the indelible futures of the past, just as sweet, sour and fragrant. When I hear the soft chrome gleam of "Astroboy", I know the most important thing is keeping the appliances happy. "Adventress" takes the test kitchen onto the Bullet Train. "Aplomb" is a woozy waltz on a slow boat full of china. In "Thus the Whirligig" the poet and the printer sit on either side of me, urgently whispering in my ears. Throughout Invention Daedelus plays his companionable clarinet and monumental bass (which structures even its absences) in the whole history of the Crystal Ballroom, from romantic heyday to treacherous flotsam. And all the while the glitches glisten across the surface, reminding us that this is the territory of memory.