F.S. Blumm

Listening to this album is like visiting a Swiss clock maker's shop with a group of musicians that play deep melodies alongside the surrounding warm mechanical rhythms. An impressive array of instruments are played here, such as marimbas, xylophones and guitars to glockenspiels and clocks, which provide the metric regularity and time to the pieces. Tunes like "Standuhrwerk," "Schneeglocke" and "Noch Schneeglocke" remind me of Steve Reich's Music for Six Marimbas, but looser, not as rigidly structured and more melodic. One odd track worth noting is "Bettanville Weiter," because it samples Charlie Parker's "I'll Remember April," coupled with noises of suspiciously creaking metallic springs. Otherwise, F.S. Blumm has produced an exceptionally beautiful album in a fresh and original way, taking the concepts of 20th century composers to the next level, which is what a good musician ought to d