Customer Reviews

Spanners

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the best work of Black Dog, and Black Dog truly is one of of the best electronica-techno-ambient-you-name-it acts of the past decade. They were in many ways precursors of Autechre in exploring polyrythms. Also, they have great compositional skills: their melodies and loops are never trivial, a quality that has been preserved in the CDs of Plaid. There are quotations and influences of middle eastern music soul, folk and previous electronica (sampled voices a la Orb and Eno), but they are never obstrusive: this is original music, not a danceable repackaging of some ethnic tape recorded in Central Africa. What is unique to BD is that their are multifaceted but still having a unique identity. For example there is a well definite "Autechre sound", which is always very consistent, and the same holds for Seefeel, or Boards of Canada, or Squarepusher; in all these cases excellent music. But in my humble opinion only AFX and Black Dog/Plaid and Richard D. James are able to span over such a wide palette of styles without losing their identity or "selling out". Only because of this, I would recommend this album to any electronica fan.

the black dog are sort of unique in that their sound is absolutely accessible and yet still interesting. their technique of layering arabic rhythms may be experimental in approach but the end result is a sound that is easily understood, heard and felt. that's the beauty of the black dog and this album, their best work. they simply make complex music that is first and foremost...beautiful. the stand-out track is "psilcoysin" which sounds like a thousand musical sidewinders weaving in and out of each other. by the end, you should be hypnotized with your mouth agape. get a used copy if you can.

If your a music geek and particularly an electronic music fan this is an absolute must have! There arent many out there, get one while you can. Before hearing this I though BOC's MHTRTC was the greatest electronic album, it has now been pushed to second place.

This is some damn fine electronica, IDM, techno...whatever you want to label it...it doesn't matter. That's because this is music that defies labelling. Sure, it has a sound similar (but not exactly like) Boards Of Canada, Aphex Twin and Autechture, but it goes beyond to explore it's own territory. I don't think you have to even be a fan of this genre to enjoy it, but it sure helps. I first played this disc after listening to two Porcupine Tree albums. Very different, but the transition was smooth.

This is one of the few albums I own that just keeps getting better as it goes on. When the final notes of Chesh are over, you have the urge to hit repeat because it feels like it was just hitting it's stride. Well, that's not exactly accurate because the album is good all the way thru, but the way it builds is amazing. If you only get one Black Dog CD, get this one...then you won't be able to help yourself when it comes to getting the rest. Definately music worth taking time out for...let it surround you and take you to it's reality.

* A really worthless CD, don't waste your time.
** A CD that has some good stuff, but some major defects. Don't bother unless completeing a collection.
*** An OK CD that will please fans of the artist in question but may not convert new listeners.
**** An excellent CD that represents the best work of the artist in question and can be bought with confidence.
***** An absolute classic that is the best, or among the best, of its genre. Your collection should start here.

After reading the rave reviews of Spanners on here, I broke down and bought it. Plaid being my favorite band, it wasn't realy a hard decision, and it was certainly well-rewarded.

One of the strange and very unique things about this CD is that while the sounds are very "classic" -- i.e. a lot of analogue synthesis going on -- there is a very modern feel to the melodies in the songs. One of the songs on the CD is about discovering materials from outer space, and it's funny, because that's kind of what this music feels like -- something that wasn't entirely made on this earth, something that has a very odd element of mystery to it. These guys really know what they're doing when it comes to composing the melodies and beats, and the CD, clocking in at over 70 minutes, is a very good work overall.

The highlights for me are:

#5 Psil-cosyin: the beginning vocal samples (Arabic) coupled with samples of some middle-eastern horns lend this tune an interesting organic feel that plays right with the cold percussive sounds and synths. The beat itself is very well-crafted and very groovy. There's no instant gratification as this song builds very well over the whole 10 minutes to three very nice and very varied climaxes. The initial feel is one of wonder, as I might imagine I'd feel if I saw the pyramids or something... it then turns into a sort of hopeful/bittersweet feel for the second climax, and then gets a bit scary/serious toward the end. Overall a great piece.

#8 Tahr: just a great funky beat with a very nice and interesting melody over the top. Great bass work too. Get out your dancing shoes for this one.

#11 Nommo: nothing particularly out of the ordinary on this track but the synth melody that plays throughout is just beautiful; another example of the somewhat mysterious feel that this CD takes on. It makes me think of how I'd feel as I was preparing to land a spaceship on a new, undiscovered planet. Very nice.

The sound quality on this CD is also very good -- some percussion tracks are almost too crisp and clear, but it doesn't detract from the great feel of the CD.

Overall, this comes together as one solid work, worth much more than simply the sum of the individual tracks. If you're a Plaid/electronica fan then I would definitely have this album.

Although not as good as their previous album, 'Bytes', 'Spanners' is a superb album. If it were by any other artist it would be hailed as a classic. It's just that what Black Dog did with 'Bytes' was so spectacular, it tended to put whatever they came up with as a follow-up into the shade.

There is a more ethnic feel to this album. Waves of arabic touches flow in and out of the music on here, lending it more of a middle-eastern feel. But it didn't overpower the usual qualities of their music, the innovative drum programming, melodic tracks, all what we recall from 'Bytes'. It just tended to add another dimension to their music, that's all.

Yes, I can see why this gets an average of 5 stars, and like another reviewer said, I can't believe that it is out of print now! I was lucky enough to find a used copy here on Amazon, and if you at all a fan of Plaid I would highly recommend picking this up if you can find it. I've still only listened to it a couple of times through (I only got it a few days ago, along with two Prefuse 73 albums, so I've been quite busy) but it has the same ambiguity of melody that makes Plaid's music so deep and thought-provoking. It's the kind of CD you can enjoy if you're into the technical aspects of music, or if you just want to lay back and relax to some good techno. Very atmospheric melodies are layered over interesting and unique beats, adding up to a very original product that, at least in this stage of things, seems to have a lot of relisten value. This is an electronica classic that nobody should be without. Highly recommended.

What can i add to all these reviews..

Let me tell you one thing about Black Dog : Spanners is the reason why Black dog is one of the best electronica group in the entire world. Far away from autechre or aphex twin (even if i love them too) They are the master of Ambient-exploring-moving music ! It arouses and stimulates your imagination... Just relax, close your eyes and listen to this cd and i am certain that once you'll open your eyes , you 'll have the feeling that you have SEEN a master-piece.

This is no ear candy. I bought Spanners in early '95 and hated it. I would have returned it if it'd been possible. But a couple weeks and several listens later, I found that it had won me over. The tracks range from the rhythmically and structurally complex to the soothingly repetitive. Straight-ahead, 4/4 beats are rare, the use of samples is unique and occaisonally exotic, and every listen seems to uncover something new. Nearly four years later, I still rank Spanners near (if not at) the top of my list of favorite techno albums.

This is one of the most interesting records of the Electronica. It does not sound totally like trip-hop, or ambient or house or a little of caribean rythm, but all in between. The tracks seem to say a whole story, which ends with a song (Chesh) that make you picture all the creation and evolution of the Universe. If you are a fan of the Electronica and/or the new tendencies, this is an intense and unique CD highly recommended.