Pearson Sound, the debut LP from Hessle Audio co-owner David Kennedy is an exercise in minimal electronic music, but not in the way you might think. Though many associate the genre with beatless layers of noise and stagnant melodies, Kennedy creates his own unique brand of minimalism through mode rather than mood. Recording these nine tracks on the fly and with a minimal amount of takes, Kennedy reconstructed the album through post-production, allowing simple drum beats and singular synth lines to define each song.
Bringing in single word samples, à la mid-career Kraftwerk, tracks like "Asphalt Sparkle" and "Headless" feel invitingly retro and mysterious. But it's songs like the field recording-esque "Gristle" and the aptly titled "Six Congas" that are the most fascinating, due to the sheer audaciousness of their sonic sparseness. Pearson Sound is a primal collection of single-idea songs that, although fascinating, work best when your musical pretences are turned off.
(Hessle Audio)Bringing in single word samples, à la mid-career Kraftwerk, tracks like "Asphalt Sparkle" and "Headless" feel invitingly retro and mysterious. But it's songs like the field recording-esque "Gristle" and the aptly titled "Six Congas" that are the most fascinating, due to the sheer audaciousness of their sonic sparseness. Pearson Sound is a primal collection of single-idea songs that, although fascinating, work best when your musical pretences are turned off.