Mike Skinner - Staring Into Spaces

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 17 / 12 / 2001

Label: Bumblebear
Format: CD

intro

Mike Skinner strips out industrial beats on his gloomily packaged 'Staring into Spaces'. With a methodical approach typical for New York musicians, a rich texture, however, develops throughout this m

Mike Skinner strips out industrial beats on his gloomily packaged 'Staring into Spaces'. With a methodical approach typical for New York musicians, a rich texture, however, develops throughout this mini CD debut. In debt to late seventies minimalistic new wave, both from Britain and America, the dark imagery makes place for bright and cinematic melodies on the last couple of tracks. The CD combines together urban drone and particulary rich arrangements on the fourth track. Using keyboards and percussion to make them sound like the xylophone and the tabla, 'Staring into Spaces' has a Krishna like charm. Perhaps the integrity in the music is too direct and multi instrumentalist Mike Skinner demands too close attention. In the sixth and last track one comes to notice the true quality, even though it has been time consuming. Halfway through the epic round off to 'Staring into Spaces', all of a sudden a downright psychedelic pop sets the final tone.

Track Listing:-