Maidenhair is a party album of sorts, hitting an appealing middle ground somewhere between civilized dinner party and 3am PARTY. Bedroom electronica can be obscure to the point of only turning up in a select few other bedrooms, but the latest sample-swamped collection of collages from Max Crumbs (aka sometime hardcore drummer Max Kohane) is destined to be enjoyed by a wider audience.
There’s no gradual mood-building electronica here – just wild, loopy snatches of songs that sit on a groove, twist it about a bit, then dump it and move on to the next one. Those who have downloaded the free Pieces And Portions releases will know what to expect, though Maidenhair is clearly a progressive step forward for Kohane.
There’s no end to the wacky song titles which, bizarrely, somehow manage to describe the songs they are referring to: Return To The Fruity Village is a druggy skip into a camp wonderland, all woozy woodwind and delayed handclaps; Yucky Oven is disorientating and has suicidal tendencies, but is cut short by the sumptuous, shuffling morsel of Love Snack; Undies and Pants Dance are sensual but also a bit… strange. It’s all every bit as fun as it sounds.
BY CHRIS GIRDLER
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