Is there any pleasure more guilty in music than ambient, hypnotic, voiceless electronica? Publicly derided and yet privately enjoyed, the free-flowing genre is host to dozens of casual stereotypes that often induce more eye-rolling than head-bobbing. Yet for all the countless accusations of laziness or creative stagnation, electronica done well can still transport listeners like no other musical form.
Thus we come to Point 7, the tinkering alias for UK-based musician Chris Cunningham, whose solo debut What? displays the best kind of tripping, stuttering, fractured, and hypnotic elements of the much-maligned genre.
Much of those characteristics can be heard in What?'s opening shot: "Remember Now," a revolving, ticking piece whose signature is a growling, delayed pulse that ominously phases in and out. Clearly a fan of the stop-start beat mentality, Cunningham treats his work like a jigsaw puzzle, pulling various riffs and motifs out while substituting other counter-melodies in order to morph the very nature of the tune. Such is the backbone of electronica - casting repetitive hooks in different lights, never letting the motion come to a halt - and likewise, Cunningham makes it the foundation of What?.
The album doesn't always take the direct route, however. Take, for instance, the atmospheric nature of tracks like "Ous," where Cunningham prefers a steady beat in lieu of any consistent melody. "DNA Conflict" is similar, throwing cascades of mallets and buzz-saw clicks at listeners over and over until the whole thing writhes organically like an H. R. Giger illustration. "Hacker IP" takes a more industrial approach, while "15th of July" and "Space Formula" eschew much of their beats for ethereal sound.
Despite the mainstays of electronica popping up every so often, What? is a clear indication of Point 7's penchant for changing things up. It offers pleasant surprises in addition to the welcomed and familiar goodness of the genre, all of which Cunningham savors with a deft hand. In the end, the album perhaps serves as a reminder that not all of electronica's habits are tiresome, hackneyed, or so rigid that there isn't some room for musical individuality and experimentation.
Kevin Liedel, MuzikReviews.com Sr. Staff
July 8, 2009
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