Vladislav Delay Quartet - Vladislav Delay Quartet

by Maarten Schiethart

published: 4 / 8 / 2011

Vladislav Delay Quartet - Vladislav Delay Quartet

Label: Honest Jon's
Format: CD

Heavyweight third album from Finnish experimental group, the Vladislav Delay Quartet

Review

This quartet features four Fins who are coming of age, all in their own specific way. With Vladislav Delay on drums, and him, lui, l'uomo', very much the driving force behind the project, the music is not far away from whichever electronica guise Vladislav Delay has used during the past 13 or 14 years. His talent in composition simply does not know a way to conceal itself. Señor Delay, or whatever he likes to be called, gathered a few friends from Berlin basements and the quartet was born. Irrespectful indeed. And like a genius would have done. Vladislav's brooding compositional warmth kick starts this cataphonic wealth of sound. The quartet certainly takes no prisoners; once taken on board members will work like slaves. The change of direction on this album in programming sounds from computers to squeezing out sounds from your fellows' instruments works nearly perfectly. On 'Des Abends' - 'In The Evening', sound effects come together like matching thunder storms and a fearless breeze sets in; 'Hohtokivi' is all about menace and danger as it draws a line. 'Killing The Water Bed' isn't just a steamy track; it boils over, with percussion. Out of reach, percussion instruments are only touched upon barely. 'Presentiment' leads in to the minimal composition that we have come to know Vladislav Delay for. Here we capture the quartet at its best; the tense bass paving the way for the disorientated lead instruments. The double album is a heavyweight in its own right.