Jakob the Baker

Sequestered in a small dark room on Salt Spring Island, Jakob the Baker (aka Andrew Power) has produced the ultimate antidote to sensory deprivation and one of the most curious records to come out of Canada in a long time. Goodnight My Andromeda sounds as if Jakob escaped through the phone lines, bouncing between the computers of Beck, DJ Shadow, the Avalanches, Kid Koala and even Tom Waits, or whatever junkyard contraption Mr. Waits uses to surf the 'net. Built on a bed of drum & bass beats and metal riffs, Jakob has used his computer to conduct a sampledelic symphony of random sound bites, electro effects and live instruments (guitar, bass, keyboards, didgeridoo and a whole mess of other junk). But what saves Goodnight My Andomeda from being just another exercise in electronic experimentation is its refreshingly old school use of samples. In the liner notes he writes, "almost all the samples appear without the approval, or even knowledge, of the artists. But it's all good." I hate that catchphrase, but since he even steals from Napster-hating Metallica, I'd have to agree.