Brad Laner (of countless side projects) and Alex Graham (from Lexaunculpt, no idea why he’s been hiding) came together to make this delicate project. How does it play? Well, think of it as fragile pop sketches with Electro-Acoustic influences. The pop influences help keep the experimentation warm and give the music soul.
Coming in at exactly 39 minutes, each piece nicely melts into the other. A unifying theme brings all these quiet pieces together. Brad shows off a shockingly sweet voice, anchoring some of the more experimental impulses of Alex. Alex isn’t a stranger to affecting arrangements, as he did work on Lexaunculpt for many years before falling off the face of the Earth.
Planet Mu does a lot more accessible music now. Having them offer up an album as inventive as this, with songs like “Mr. Baby” is a real treat. On that song you’re treated to Alex’s love of string arrangements, along with piano and guitar. A fractured beat keeps it all together. Using an unconventional structure allows them to show off a bit more emotion than either is accustomed to.
Interesting, they end the album with the only fully produced song, “We Breathe” to perhaps offer a taste of what they might explore on their next album. It feels fully formed, but still has enough quirkiness to be considered a true pop song.
Sadly, this received very little attention. Had this come out a few years earlier, I think people might have been more receptive to it. But at this point, this kind of pop-structure experimentation, involving glitches, skipping, and so on have fallen out of fashion. That is a pity since this is such a strong release.