MINT
Cardboard Rocketships
BOLTLP006
Boltfish Recordings 2009
13 Tracks. 61mins15secs

Only weeks after Cheju, one half of the team heading Boltfish Record released his latest album, it is the turn of London-based Murray Fisher, AKA Mint, the other half, to deliver a collection of fine electronic music. Infused with the rich evolving melodic and textures that have been at the heart of the Boltfish ethic ever since the label was first established, five years ago, Cardboard Rocketships concentrates in twelve tracks, plus a reworking of Ulrich Schnauss’s Shine, what Fisher has been developing over the course of countless EPs, released not only on his own imprint, but also through U-Cover, Kahvi Collective, Rednetic or Lacedmilk Technologies.

Even more so than that of Cheju, Fisher’s music is characterised by strong, evocative, almost naïve, melodies and sweeping cinematic orchestrations, which heavily contribute to create deeply dramatic and effective pieces. All the way through, he develops beautiful themes for just long enough, reaching a point where each composition seems to progress almost by itself, but carefully bringing them to an end before they start losing focus. This means that the vast majority of the tracks are kept under the five minute mark here, which, while occasionally leaving a slight feeling of frustration as the mind remains set on a particular pattern long after it has vanished, also works toward intensifying the cadence of the record itself. Pieces such as the slightly kaleidoscopic Keiji’s Dream, Aquarius or Dead Pixels for instance appear to progressively gather momentum as more layers of sound appear caught up in powerful swirls, while, on the more melancholic Grace, Personal Spaces or Dorothy’s Song, the restraint with which the melodies progress through more delicate sound formations is heightened by the feeling that anything could come to break the piece at any time.

Right at the heart of this album is Mint’s dreamy remix of Ulrich Schnauss’s Shine, from his 2007 album Goodbye. Stripping the original of its moody overtones and shaded vocals, Fisher renders its deeply ethereal washes with gentle electronic waves slowly building up over a recurring theme and a slightly too conspicuous beat. The track bears little resemblance to Schnauss’s version but certainly fits in pretty well with the rest of the album, ensuring a great consistency of tone throughout.

Cardboard Rocketships is only Mint’s second proper full length, following his 2007 Binary Counting released on U-Cover. Close in spirit to the likes of Isan, Gimmik or Benge, Mint delivers here a rather engaging and fine collection of beautiful and warm electronic music.

4.4/5

Mint | Boltfish Recordings