Two Lone Swordsmen - Peppered With Spastic Magic (CD)

All Music Guide

When someone is vehemently disdainful of a particular style of musicbe it gangsta rap, hard bop, honky tonk or power metalit usually comes down to one thing: they don't understand the musical vocabulary they're being exposed to. If a listener doesn't comprehend and appreciate the hiphop vocabulary, he/she cannot offer an informed opinion on the artistic merits of Lil' Kim, JayZ or Poverty any more than someone who doesn't understand honky tonk can fully articulate why he/thinks a Dwight Yoakam CD is good, bad, fantastic or indifferentand similarly, one needs some understanding of electronica's hightech vocabulary to get into a disc like Peppered With Spastic Magic. Those who always insist on a traditional verve/chorus/verse/chorus song structure are likely to have a hard time appreciating Peppered With Spastic Magic, a collection of remixes by the Londonbased mixologists Andrew Weatherall Keith Tenniswood (collectively known as Two Lone Swordsmen). This CD is not about songwriting cra...ftit's about the beat and the track, and the Swordsmen bring that perspective to the table whether they're turning their attention to St. Etienne's "Heart Failed", Alter Ego's "Mescal" or Texas' "Put Your Arms Around Me". Weatherall Tenniswood aren't playing by singer/songwriter rules; those who accept that going in will find Peppered With Spastic Magic to be an enjoyably futuristic endeavor. This CD isn't an example of harsh, abrasive, inyourface techno, but it isn't a sleek, smooth album of chillout, downtempo or acid jazz either; instead, a mood that is spacy, quirky and moody yet funky usually prevails. The Swordsmen are operating from a spaceistheplace aesthetic, and at times, Peppered With Spastic Magic almost sounds like an electronica equivalent of Sun Ra (minus the improvisation, horn solos and realtime musicianship, of course). This release is unlikely to win over electronica's more severe detractors, but those who understand where the Swordsmen are coming from will find a lot to like about Peppered With Spastic Magic. - Alex Henderson, All Music Guide Read more Less