Home Artist links Label link

Xploding Plastix - Amateur Girlfriends Go Proskirt Agents

Artist:	Xploding Plastix
Title:	Amateur Girlfriends Go Proskirt Agents
Label:	Beatservice Records BSCD038
Length(s):	59 minutes
Year(s) of release:	2001
Month of review:	[11/2001]

Line up

Hallvard W Hagen - everything
Jens Petter Nilsen - everything

Tracks

1)	Sports, Not Heavy Crime	5.07
2)	Funnybones & Lazylegs	4.48 MP3 or RealAudio
3)	6-hours Starlight	3.22
4)	Behind The Eightball	4.49
5)	Single Stroke Ruffs	2.28
6)	Treat Me Mean, I Need The Reputation	4.58
7)	Relieved Beyond Repair	1.45
8)	Tintinnamputation	4.26
9)	More Powah To You	5.26
10)	Having Smarter Babies	4.57
11)	Far-flung Tonic	4.51
12)	Happy Jizz Girls	2.54
13)	Doubletalk Gets Through To You	5.23
14)	Comatose Luck	3.39

Summary

Where does one find a cd title like this. If you know, please tell. The band is a duo. As regards "progressive" this is a borderline case. The band mentions names such as Amon Tobin and Cinematic Orchestra, but I have no idea who the hell they are (yet).

The music

The album opens well with cinematic music, lightly classical and instrumentally a combination of piano and modern rhythms. One is tempted to think of Portishead here. Old orchestral movie music with a drum 'n' bass feel and at times quite hectic, laced with brimming organ and even some flute.

Automatic (?) drums figure mostly on the follow-up Funnybones & Lazylegs. One might say that James Bond goes drum 'n' bass here. The triggered drums remind me of Aphex Twin (so one might safely say that they can be quite hectic). The string orchestra gets to quite dissonant towards the end.

Lounge jazz and Latin music we find on the easier going 6-hours Starlight. The sax and bass do make for a sad sounding ending. The percussion does not seem to mind. Behind The Eightball brings us back to James Bond music in a scene where darkness and secrecy yield their tension. It all grooves wonderfully well and hard to sit still by.

Single Stroke Ruffs is soft and intimate with a jazzt sax and a bit introverted. Also a bit on the boring side. Treat Me Mean, I Need The Reputation is definitely better. This is a rousing track with Latin influences and quite a bit of groove and some really nice effects. The acoustic guitar have a Spanish ring to them and the track has some discordant percussion as well.

Vocoded vocals we find on the rather quiet Relieved beyond repair. It is followed by Tintinnamputation which contrasts strongly: hectic percussion, bleepy keys, and a jazz drum. Sweet strings give it its melodic side. More Powah To You is also very percussive and rousing.

Having Smarter Babies is more lightfooted, but featuring fast rhythms nonetheless. The bass nicely zooms throughout the track, the melody is appealing.

Far-Flung Tonic is more orchestral with a sad feel. The music has a certain Tom Waits feel and includes some clarinet playing.

After the Happy Jizz Girls (hmm), we come to the sparse percussion, warm keyboards of Doubletalk Gets Through To You. The closer Comatose luck has film texts and a bass singing low.

Conclusion

Quite an enjoyable album here with diverse tracks, not prog but certainly sophisticated, a combination of Morricone, Portishead and modern rhythmics. Towards the end the music became less urgent, more fluent, but also lacking that bit of tension. For that reason probably I enjoyed the first half a bit more.