The 5th Exotic - Quantic

Track List:

1. Introduction
2. The 5th Exotic
3. Snakes in the Grass
4. Infinite Regression
5. Life in the Rain
6. Long Road Ahead
7. Common Knowledge
8. The Picture Inside
9. Through These Eyes
10. Time is the Enemy
11. In the Key of Blue
12. Meaning

Runtime: 52 Minutes
Released: 2001

So WMP ignores "The" at the start of album titles as well as in artist names when ranking alphabetically; ok. I am not looking forward to this one. I suspect that my taste has shifted enough for me to find this album tedious (and given there are two more to come with the Quantic name on them...), but here we go. It starts with a voice recording intro, so far, so quaint and unoriginal, then quickly moves into the title track which is humdrum, generic electronica. A so-so hook, tinny sounds and occasional voice samples do not make for great interest.

I think I picked this up on the strength of an Amazon recommendation, probably after I fell in love with Bonobo's Animal Magic - an album I still enjoy - because they're in a similar vein. Hopefully my poor impression will be dispelled some and my hostility towards this inoffensive downbeat shuffling might prove to be misplaced.

The problem is not that inoffensive downbeat shuffle is necessarily a bad thing; it certainly has its place. The problem is that it is terrible for actually listening to, rather than providing a convenient low background hum to conversation because so little actually happens to engage the ear. Weirdly this album is likely to prove full of the sorts of tracks I do not skip if the player is set to random, because they work as scenery... just not the sort of stunning scenery that draws you to a place. Each of the tracks is likely to be a touch too long and a whole lot too repetitive to reward paying real attention, whilst having one feature that lodges quite pleasantly in the ear and would have you nodding along as you chat to someone over a glass of wine, or whatever.

The most annoying thing to date (and I am in to track 4 now) is the voice samples - presumably from film or radio. I like the technique, and artful use of such is a feature of some other music that will feature in this blog if I maintain momentum - such as Public Service Broadcasting or Lemon Jelly - but I do not get the feeling that the craft in choosing these samples and matching them to the music is to the same high level here. It is a debut, and I feel that it shows. Every track sounds like it could have been done slightly better by a different artist; the disc as a whole feels like it is constantly missing something. In many ways that is far more mean than is deserved. It is after all not unpleasant, it is fundamentally inoffensive after all. It is just that I am now halfway through Common Knowledge and I do not feel that anything has changed since I hit play, other than it is half an hour later.

There is, of course, a lot more variation to the tracks than I make out. Each one does have a subtly different flavour of inoffensive downbeat shuffle going on... wait, I have just hit one that breaks the mould a little. It's actually a mildly offensive downbeat shuffle instead due to the harshness of snares and a very drone-like overlay. It is just that there is not enough variation within the tracks, nothing that grabs attention and makes you interested in how it plays out or fits with the other elements. Again, this makes it pretty good background music but I cannot help but feel that "good background music" is a goal that any self-respecting musician should shoot for if not explicitly providing a soundtrack or accompaniment piece.

At least the beats have got slight more interesting as the disc goes on and give me something positive to focus on when listening. Unfortunately the melodies have got less interesting at about the same rate, and those vocal samples are still there. As I am being disparaging here, I find it amusing that WMP is actually uprating each track as it plays, by virtue of being left to play right through. I have not got the heart to correct the mistake.

I just hit Time is the Enemy and actually I am enjoying this track a lot more. It is still best characterised as inoffensive downbeat shuffle but there are more layers here, more little things to draw the ear. Beats and melody both have reasonable patterns and there is just that touch extra going on that moves it into the realm of me listening rather than absorbing. It isn't a great track, but it is a good one. Comfortably the best on the disc so far and all the better for not dragging out too long.

I think the real problem with shuffle is that actually it is really hard to do well. I cannot help but think that the percussion on In the Key of Blue reminds me of something. I think it is Three by Massive Attack, but the resemblance is slight. It has kept a higher level of interest than the earlier tracks though, so I feel safe saying that this album gets better as it goes. Meaning closes the album; I feel relieved to have got here; it is classic shuffle, terminated by a vocal sample which actually makes the end feel quite sudden. And welcome.

The 5th Exotic will not be a casualty; the appeal of the shuffle for a shuffled library is strong enough for it to remain. It will never be listened to like this again though. Inoffensive downbeat shuffle has become another unique LastFM tag.

Update: after sitting through An Announcement to Answer and getting through a number more albums, cutting stuff I liked more than this, I have decided to get rid of most of The 5th Exotic, only keeping the two tracks I had something (even mildly) positive to say about.