Greg Fenton reviews Truus de Groot presents Plus Instruments – Unnoticed – Ransom Note
Unnoticed is the sound of history filtered through a contemporary lens. The audio feels like a classic collection of electronic machines plugged into a bright future of storytelling that never fails to excite expectations. In so many ways, the album feels like a breath of fresh air, yet it also reminds me of my musical past, where music could feel edgy and distinctive, where easy clichés weren’t an option.
Centred on spoken words, singing melodies, and narration, the soundtrack presents a series of sonic messages folded into rhythms and a heavily atmospheric sense of musical release. Much of the soundtrack has a mysterious or eerie quality, which has much to do with celluloid, as in the weirdly captivating whir of Slow Soak Poetry. While Sexy Machine (ft. Cosmo Vitelli) slots into a definite timeframe of sleazy eighties body music, it does so exquisitely. Tempos and intensity play with the senses in most welcome ways, and when moods and inclinations get twisted, try the brilliant darkness of For Safety, followed by the blurred electronics of I Don’t Like It. Dancefloor expression is visited on Pain in My Heart, with its fizzy arpeggios getting under the skin.
There’s not much compromise here, which is to be admired. In many ways, listening to this album is unlike anything else you are likely to hear anytime soon. It’s the combination of the threads of history spun alongside a feverishly modern narrative that, in the end, is so compelling.
Release: February 11
Download/ Stream/ Order from Bandcamp
Truus de Groot Linktree
You must be logged in to post a comment.