Expanding Records has grown to become the home of beautiful
and delicate electronic music in the vein of its mastermind,
Benge’s Ben Edwards.
Formed of composer and sound designer Teho Teardo and
cellist Martina Bertoni, Modern Institute present, with
their debut album, a series of sumptuous and delicate
compositions built around the inspired combination of
Teardo’s guitars, Rhodes and electronics and Bertoni’s
cello. Both Teardo and Bertoni have been involved in
film music, and it transpires all the way through Excellent
Swimmer. As the album develops, the pair apply
wonderful atmospheric textures and constantly refine
them into more sumptuous and rich nuances, creating
intricate yet extremely accessible and evocative soundscapes
and wrapping them around deceptively simple melodic
themes. Although the cello brings elements of melancholy
to the mix, the general mood of the record is surprisingly
uplifting.
As the pace of the album remains resolutely measured
and meditative, Modern Institute focus on the complex
sound assemblages of each composition and channel just
enough pressure for each track to reveal a different
relief to the pair’s music while retaining the
consistency of the album as a whole. As the pair craft
their pastoral compositions and assemble them together
into a truly consistent soundtrack, the various aspects
of their music become sediment to the whole piece, each
layer bringing a new dimension to the piece.
For their debut collaboration, Australian musicians
Dave Miller, who released his debut solo album, Mitchells
Raccolta on German imprint Background last year,
and Harry Hohnen, AKA Fiam, have crafted a rather subtle
and diverse collection of electronic tracks. Although
their respective solo recordings have seen them take
different paths, the pair meet here on common grounds
to create a series of intimate compositions, with a
wide array of electronic textures and acoustic elements
forming the core of their work. Deeply atmospheric and
filled with fine melodies and fresh grooves incrusted
within intricate constructions, Modern Romance
refine their template all the way through, constantly
injecting new components and refreshing others by tweaking
the musical context of their creations. Far from generating
a disparate series of compositions, this approach actually
acts as the core-unifying constituent of the thirteen
tracks forming the body of this release.
From the delicate first incursion into Tempest In
A Teacup, the pair begin to define the atmospheric
tone of Modern Romance through a discreet piano
line. As they introduce more sonic elements on the following
tracks, from gentle brushes and cinematic crackles on
Tired Neighbourhood Bird to acoustic guitars
on Edge Of Midnight and a mournful treated
cello on Slowing To A Stop, Miller and Hohnen
etch all sorts of delicate settings and bring them to
life with wonderfully simple melodies. Amidst their
impressive collection of sound sources, the recurring
presence of a piano, in turn smooth, muffled or crystalline,
guides the listener from one end of this record to the
other.
Fitting perfectly with the particular music ethic of
Expanding Records, both Excellent Swimmer and
Modern Romance, with their finely detailed
soundscapes and beautiful melodies, prove totally compelling
and manage to complement each other while remaining
very distinctive at the same time. Like two sides of
a same coin, these two albums are likely to leave anyone
wanting for more.
Excellent Swimmer 4.7/5 / Modern Romance 4.5/5 |
