Tectonic Membrane/Thin Strip O

Artist: Emperor X
Album: Tectonic Membrane/Thin Strip on an Edgeless Platform
Label: Snowglobe Records

Clever alterna-pop with interesting home-grown production. At times almost a re-incarnation of The Loud Family, if that helps. Also, a more serious minded They Might be Giants, especially the adenoidal vocals. The lyrics are mostly non-repetitive, and are always elliptical. Liked tracks, 1 and 2, and recommend tracks 4, 7 and 8.

1) Wordy, non-repetitive lyrics, cheap electronics. Coda: sample of classroom chatter, children’s choir.
2) 100 bpm. Ellipical lyrics about being 30. Acoustic guitar, electronics, piano.
3) 66 bpm. Rhymes “al queda did” with “the shovel’s hid.” More introspective.
4) 80 bpm. Almost ambient. Very low voice levels. Nice bass line. Later, more prominent, distorted/reverbed guitar. Dream-pop.
5) 100 bpm Slightly spastic, percussion heavy, with heavy distortion. Later, louder, with distorted vocals.
6) 90 bpm. Acoustic guitar, with subtle electronics background, and female backup vocals. Lyrics about mild discontent.
7) 120 bpm. Mostly electronic, with lyrics about travel and teendom. Adds guitar later. Anti-catchy catchy. Name-checks Friendster. Ends ~ 10 s with interesting, but unrelated sample. Recommended.
8) 120 bpm. Edgy, more rockin’. Sounds like the Loud Family. Recommended.
9) 116 bpm. No lyrics. Thrumming, nervous electronics. Builds for a while, then grooves. At 4:30 changes to slow, thrumming chords. Another pretty pattern develops, then at 8:30, shrill electronics meant to lead into the next song.
10) 130 bpm. Rockin’, catchy and more alterna-pop than rest of album. Best lyric “I’ll smash your keyboards, and take my Beck home.”
11) 70 bpm. Acoustic guitar, subdued. “I cried when…” and “you’ll have a baby in the summertime.” At 2:00, cheerful, chilly electronics.

Alex D.