Encoder ....: lame
Grabber ....: EAC
Source .....: CDDA
Quality ....: VBRkbps/44.1kHz
Tracks .....: 12
Genre ......: Electronic
Year .......: 2009
Rip Date ...: 13-12-2009
Label ......: Paper Bag
01. Raining Patterns : 07:26
02. Big Love : 06:22
03. Invitation to Love : 06:07
04. Summerlong : 01:53
05. You Hear Colours : 05:38
06. Monolith : 07:12
07. Half Dreaming : 05:29
08. Letters Home : 04:59
09. Break-in : 03:09
10. Come Closer : 06:07
11. Snake Charmer : 08:24
12. Half Dreaming Reprise : 02:41
TOTAL TIME : 65:27 min
TOTAL SIZE : 89,8 MB
Much of the music one might compare to CFCF's debut
album, Continent, leans on an external medium or
function. Like a lush film score, theme for a
forgotten Don Johnson TV pilot, or an unused in-house
mixtape intended to fill intermission space, Continent
at first seems like a throwback record that really
opens up only in a specific time and place. And to a
degree, that's to be expected coming from a self-
professed film geek who is likely keener on the idea
of chatting about Cronenberg than Kraftwerk. Michael
Silver, the Montreal-based 21-year-old behind CFCF,
has garnered a modest following as a producer and
prolific remix artist (you might remember him as the
guy who won that Crystal Castles remix contest with
his ambitious reconfiguring of "Air War"). And
Continent, a surprisingly confident debut, suggests
that he's equally concerned with how his music sounds
as he is with where it's heard.
As successful as Continent is at evoking mood using
deliberate pacing and ripe textures, it also managed
to wrap its meticulously pruned pop reticence around
everything from hushed poser-disco suites ("Invitation
to Love") to sexy, swoon-struck soft-rock grooves
("Raining Patterns"). Hell, there's even a great
Fleetwood Mac cover wedged in there, too. Since it's
so easy to lose yourself in these lithe, languid
electronic ruminations, it's no wonder that nearly
everything I've read about CFCF-- and more
specifically Continent itself-- has focused on the
cinematic characteristics in Silver's work. But fair
may it be to categorize these dozen tracks as a series
of very accomplished daydream canvases, Continent
becomes a richer experience when looked at as
independent of any peripheral distraction, with its
pop-friendly attention-grabbers very much in the
foreground.
There's a patient, reserved quality at work that will
no doubt land Continent a few iPod gigs in chic
bistros. But to water down these beat-bolstered two-
steppers-- like the propulsive, joyous Mac cover "Big
Love" or the Quincy Jones-styled funk-out "Half
Dreaming"-- is to rob them of their inherent
catchiness and accessibility. Often a little sad or
playing to a kind of ethereal, out-of-body vibe, most
of the memorable moments here are ones that are felt
with the hips, not the head. And that's likely because
these are, for the most part, unapologetically svelte
tunes jam-packed with cues taken from body-high
inducing ambient atmospherics, beatific house
loopings, 70s AM Easy Cheese, and bubbly Balearic
turns.
All of this might appear indicative of how we spent
our 2009 summer vacation (see "chillwave"), and while
there are unmistakable nostalgic underpinnings that
help define Silver's music, it's never cloyingly
obvious. Where artists like Neon Indian or Washed Out
rely on instant gratification to transport a listener
back to specific time or feeling, CFCF's music is less
concerned with arriving at a discernible destination
than it is with detailing the journey. These are
lengthy tunes for the most part (a few of the best
clocking in well over seven minutes), so it's easy to
lose track of every fleeting emotion or quirky little
melody that happens to float on by.
Indeed, large parts of Continent may be considered too
cautious or circuitous for the casual listener--
Easter eggs like that Prince-in-the-driving-rain
guitar solo on "You Hear Colours" or the patient,
synth-soaked yearning that plays throughout "Snake
Charmer" might not be able to so readily produce any
real effusive payoff for some. However, by employing a
bit of listener fortitude, you'll hopefully unlock the
vibrancy that lies at Continent's core and defines it
as the sure-footed, elegantly stated electro-pop
record it most certainly is.
Enjoy!