Inlandish Review
July/August 2017 Issue
AS Rating: music – 4 of 5 stars, sonics – 4 of 5 stars
Curious Music is a label that, between 1989 and 2001, focused on krautrock and electronic music, and then took a hiatus. Now switching from CDs to vinyl and FLAC files, the label has returned with the first-ever vinyl release of 2008’s Inlandish, which pairs krautrock godfather Hans-Joachim Roedelius with Tim Story, whose means of introduction to Roedelius was a fan letter from Ohio. At times layers of keyboards fill the soundscape, but you’ll also hear cello, viola, oboe, and acoustic piano. The music can be quite lyrical, but this is hardly aural wallpaper, as the opening track makes clear. At first, Roedelius’ acoustic piano on “As It Were” sounds serene, but note how quickly the mood switches from sunny to foreboding, thanks in part to Martha Reikow’s riveting cello work. Such modulations resurface throughout, rewarding all the attention you give it. The vinyl edition includes a gorgeous gatefold cover and a signed and numbered art print. Tim Story did a fine job of remastering the music; the warm and spacious-sounding vinyl benefits from a black noise floor, and listening to the FLAC files on my B&W P7 headphones was both immersive and transportive.
- Jeff Wilson
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