Perrey-Kingsley - In Sound from Way Out! (CD)

All Music Guide

From a technical standpoint, this early attempt to bring electronic music to the masses is commendable. The result of (according to the liner notes) 275 hours of work and several miles of tape, these electronically modified sounds were combined with electronic sounds from oscillators, tone generators, and feedback loops to create something resembling pop melodies. Live musicians then embellished these materials with both electronic and natural instruments. The problem is, the end product -- certainly after 30 years have removed the novelty value of electronic tones -- is cheesy enough to skirt the boundaries of kitsch, with a boxy, mechanical texture and a music-box-run-amok feel that makes it sound like a direct ancestor of Hot Butter's 1972 hit instrumental "Popcorn." There is a goofy charm to the mischievous placement of burps, gurgles, animal noises, and naive outer space-tinged themes. But with material that would be far more at home on the soundtrack of a children's TV cartoon th...an a work of contemporary composition, this album is more of a curiosity than anything else. - Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide Read more Less