Album Review : Pentatonik - A Thousand Paper Cranes
- Written by Matt Brown
Not one to rush himself, R. Simeon Bowring's one man show, Pentatonik have managed to churn out three albums in 15 years. More like a million cups of coffee (not to mention the Hobnob consumption over this time). He's taken this Blue Nile-esque output rate to attempt to edge himself more towards the film score type of electronica rather than the more unashamed dance material of the debut album Anthology. It's a risky strategy that doesn't always work.
A Thousand Paper Cranes was inspired by a story of a 12-year-old Japanese girl who died from the effects of the Hiroshima bomb. It was her belief that if she could make a thousand paper cranes then her cancer would be cured. The influences of the Orient can be heard dotted around in 'By The Sword' and the title track amongst others and a generous nod to Ryuichi Sakamoto is no great surprise.
The production is lush throughout. The space created by the subtle use of ambience gives the pieces air to float unhindered by dense structures and beats. 'Night Raid On London' drops some Vangelis moments while the storm brews and the sirens wail. The only real reference to the earlier Pentatonik of '94 is 'The Rush of You' with a synth riff which seems almost pregnant with anxiety to unleash itself into an Orbital rave era tune, but it never quite happens.
After a while the limitations start to peek through: the piano notes become as pedestrian as a ramblers association day out, the crash cymbals fail to crash any life into the intended build ups. The button for the 'cinematic strings' patch on Pentatonik's synth must've taken a hammering, for they are omnipresent. It's as though you just want a little bit of dirt to smear over the perfect cleanliness of it all.
Nevertheless, there are moments of beauty, such as the opener 'Aquamarine' that manages to weave and waltz effortlessly around the speakers. It's just unfortunate that the template is set here for pretty much all that follows when some deviation would have been most welcome now and again.