If sum is defined as the equal of two parts, Nathan McCoy's (Rivel) new EP is the product of clean, focused production and mindful harmonic mastery. Sum conjures up images of years past, those innocent but haunting moments that creep up in the back of our minds that cannot be, ironically enough, summed up easily.
Instead of letting complexity get the best of him, Rivel's approach to IDM is refreshingly simple and well crafted. Playful beats dribble around in tracks like 'Jog Along' and 'Mueve', while resonant melodies and tones of those such as 'Let's Play' and 'None Left' incite the overtones of the album. With this his fullest release to date (see n5MD's MD1 and MD8 ), we're excited to bring you new music from Rivel.
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Reviewer:fruktos - - September 17, 2005 Subject: no rivals? Sum is a great release, fans of early BoC and Plaid will find alot of comfort here. Most the songs included are short ambient melodic pieces and more often than not they leave you wanting. A good and bad thing. It is listed as a EP though and it has 10 songs so I guess thats where the EP format comes from.
This isn't a deterence from digging Rivel's music though. The songs that seem more complete are completely satisfying and I couldn't recommend them any higher... The only reason I'm giving Sum 4 stars instead of 5 is because it could be a little more complete (and some of the songs seem to sound a tad bit the same). I'm excited to hear more of an ambitious outing in the future.
If you don't download the zip or only check out one or 2 songs I recommend Jog Along, Mueve and Let's play. The first 2 are of the 3 songs that do contain beats.. and they really have you wishing there were more like them.
Overall, I love the mood and the melodies. The quick triplets and everything. Very swingin, very melancholic.