Comments on: TELEFON TEL AVIV: Immolate Yourself (BPitch Control)

By: David Abravanel

David Abravanel — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:22:56 +0000

Excellent review; I consider this one to be their best yet. It’s a shame the story has to end here.

By: Pete Lazonby

Pete Lazonby — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:55:45 +0000

For all 3 albums the moods evoked are the common thread. Music is really about what does, not how it does it.

By: themilkman

themilkman — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:03:33 +0000

John, the album is referred to by its proper title early in the review. The “Maps” referenced is a shortened version to avoid having to repeat the whole thing.

The commet abou the second albumtt being disapponting is off course a personal thing, although I remember a few other reviews picking up on a similar feel. I never actually felt that the beautiful layering of the first album was put to good use on their second, and re music was bordering on lounge electronica. I listened to it again a few times while preparing the review ofthe new album, and felt exactly that again. It is, of course, just an opinion, but that’s what reviews are.

As for the new album lacking the depth of earlier work, this is your opinion, and I respect that, but I really feel that, although the music in general works in different ways, it is a much more achieved record. TheMore dance orientated feel could have been a total failure, but I think they have pulled it off brilliantly.

By: John

John — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:42:56 +0000

Their sophomore album is titled Map of What is Effortless, not Maps. I disagree with it being somewhat disappointing (reviewer’s opinion or common consensus?). Map of What is Effortless takes the in-your-face pure electronic glitch of Fahrenheit Fair Enough, lessens its intensity, and then spreads it over a variety of drum/vocal/instrument layers. And then there’s a live orchestra. Musically and electronically, Map is a superb album, one that can be revisited repeatedly with its stacks of nuanced glitch subtlety, making it one of my favorite all-time albums. What disappoints me about Immolate Yourself is that Telefon Tel Aviv removed the remarkably deep level of detail found in their former album and their move from digital to analogue essentially poured boiling water over a perfectly elaborate production formula, leaving the listeners and long-time fans with a skeleton of their former brilliance. The musical layers are there, but they serve one purpose: complementing the rest of the sound to create a whole. No longer do they exist as their own entities, weaving in and out of each other and amounting to a fantastic sound. Immolate Yourself should have been Telefon Tel Aviv’s first album, and I hope that we have yet to see their best work.

By: themilkman

themilkman — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:42:12 +0000

Oops. thanks for spotting this.

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:03:19 +0000

Good review….
I think they guy in the band’s name is Josh Eustis, not Josh Curtis