Lappetites, The – “Before The Libretto ” – [Quecksilber]

A lappetite for *construction* on display here. KAFFE MATTHEWS evidently
is the chairwoman of this koffe klatch kollektiv. Bound more by their USB
ports than their X chromosomes, the sounds are less overtly feminine then
the membership is. It is supercool that Kaffe tabbed ELIANE RADIGUE to be
a part of this version of the femmetastic four who dates back to an era
where tape had to be cut with a razor as opposed to a “software tool.”
This is a beautiful collection of cycled and recycled sounds that takes
pleasure in turning this around, and upside down. Indeed it ends with
an “Overture” which features the most grinding on the album, bursts of
metal guitar?? That is one of the jarring of the numbers here, most of
the album could be qualified as “pink noise” perhaps. AGF’s spooky
chanteuserie (on say “Birken”) is swirled in so many disembodied voices
and electric sprites, just gorgeous. RYOKO KUWAJIMA also brings her
voice to the forefront on “My Within”, scaling Japanese melodies and
giving a sort of innocent-girl-meets-the-apocalypse vibe. Several times
I felt a wind from “Twin Peaks” sweep through tracks, but despite some
of these eerie flavors, the album really is bewitching. The lead-off
track, showcases the polyglot power of this four, they could be just
doing a channel check…sending bytes around, twisting cables along
with tongues (Ryoko seems to have fun with “Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry”).
Like the “Weightless Animals” which Matthews helped launched into
sonic space, she’s a fisher of interesting sounds and interesting
women. Check out her sound/poem at the corner of “Stop No. 394 Falkirk
Street.”

-Thurston Hunger