Pierre Henry and Michel Columbier: Metamorphose:: Pitchfork Review

Pierre Henry and Michel Columbier
Metamorphose:
Messe Pour Le Temps Present
[FFRR]
Rating: 8.5

"Get this, it's an interpretation of an art-house electro-ballet from the fifties, remixed and jam-basted all up by the likes of Tek, William Orbit, Coldcut, Funky Porcini, Ken Abyss and Fatboy Slim."

"What's it sound like?"

"Well, it's got these psychedelic, atom-age moments sandwiched between genius portions of rhythm perfection."

"So, it's good?"

"Well ... yeah, but not in that 'I feel like jamming to some avant-techno while peeling the potato' sort of way, but in that 'damn, this makes me think' kind of way."

"You want to think??"

"Well, sometimes."

"Why?"

"It keeps my brain from falling into my stomach."

"Oh."

"Yeah, anyway, the sound is heavily fuzzed-down, foggy beats... Voices emerging from the soup now and then. Kinda creepy at times, but with some good jazzy beats."

"Creepy?"

"Yeah, deep distortion. Sound melting from one form to another, metamorphosizing."

"What's it remind you of?"

"The instruments and atmosphere have a sort of Stereolab quality to 'em: retro, beatnik organs, but injected with sweetmeat modern beat."

"Any guitars?"

"I think so. The original recording used something called 'the jerk,' a version of an electric guitar."

"The jerk?"

"Are you talkin' to me?"

"Nah, man. The instrument."

"Oh, it doesn't sound like any guitar I ever heard, but y'know, liner notes don't lie."

"I hear ya, brother."

"Amen. It all hangs together pretty well, though Tek and Funky Porcini's pieces are pretty much straightforward drum-n-bass, Coldcut goes way out, fast and minimal, and Ken Abyss' bit is like a jam on Space Station Mir."

"What about Fatboy Slim?"

"Ah, he closes it out with big sound, bells clanging, beats rompin', the jerk jammin' and plenty of other junk thrown in, phat."

"What're you gonna give it?"

"Well, there's a lot of abstract navel-gazing between tracks, and the damn thing is only based on four original tracks, but man, it's fresh."

"How fresh?"

"Fresh as the maraschino cherries in my mom's fridge; old as hell, and twice as sweet as the real thing."

-James P. Wisdom