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Pixel

The Drive

(Raster-Noton; US: 12 May 2009; UK: 13 Apr 2009)

The third album from Denmark’s Jon “Pixel” Egeskov is a rare ambient concept road-trip album. All of the tracks are named after coordinates findable through Google Maps (track one is the Cape Canaveral NASA base in Florida). Of course, I generally like louder music with a progressive beat for my travels, while the sound of The Drive is often something like a heartbeat laid over the warble of old ceiling fans and amplifier hum. If I ever did pull this out on a road-trip, the majority of the car would likely fall asleep, so it is kind of dangerous in that respect.


Outside of the concept, it is a well-constructed chill album. A constant amplifier hum acts as a drone through which intensely stretched out string instruments bubble forth. Each track is given its sense of momentum by faint, lethargic bass and static pops rearranged into percussion. I certainly sets a mood, yet every time I listen to it, I can’t help but wish I was listening to Pole’s first three EPs instead.

Rating:

Greetings, brothers and sisters. Like you, I'm a fan of music. I spend most of my time researching, investigating, making, and exploring music. Since 2004, my music reviews, essays, and columns have appeared in publications such as Exclaim!, Tiny Mix Tapes, PopMatters, and I've been a Polaris Music Prize juror since 2010. I graduated from Simon Fraser University's Contemporary Arts program with a BFA in music in Summer 2011. I am happy to live in East Vancouver with my sketchy but sweet cat Isobel.


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