Cheju - Waiting for Tomorrow (Distant Noise)
No one likes getting woken up early, especially me. This morning I awoke to neighbours rowing, with words like "disgusting", "scum" and "idiot" repeated about 80 million times. I needed calm on this overcast Saturday morning and luckily this CD was poking invitingly from my letterbox as I ventured wearily from my bedroom.
Luckily I say because I needed some respite from the volley of insults that had come from said female’s mouth. I pressed play and raised the volume to drown out the menacing howls from below and “Unfold” did something miraculous. The sweet ambient chimes sound proofed my mind and evaporated the clatter that so disturbed my equilibrium this morning. Calmness approached...
“Grid Reference” weaves intricate beat patterns and glitchy nuances. This song could raise a smile on the face of the most rigid and angry person in the world. I am almost contemplating inviting the neighbours around for some relief from the obvious rigours of close living. Think Isan, Obfusc and Boards Of Canada and you have the musical equivalence; beta blockers on a day filled with countryside sunshine.
“Leaving at Dawn” has a title that becomes so apparent. The song gently awakens, packs it’s bags amongst bird call and says, “Do not disturb! I am leaving”. A song that makes me feel nostalgic, and makes me want to set out on journeys afar. And with this mornings commotion, I could see myself in fields and pastures new. Distant Noise and Cheju are already onto a winner and we are only half way through the album.
My personal favourite track on this release is “Rose Window.” An instrumental that starts of with a mandolin that picks hair raising minor chords with expertise. A fat Hip-Hop beat kicks in and the song swaggers off down the road with the confidence of Liam Gallagher after twelve cans of Stella Artois. Cheju has mastered the art of complex song structure and mood to levels of genius that shoot of into territories which up until now seemed unknown to many in the Electronica genre.
A range of moods, sounds and atmosphere that has to be heard to be believed. Cheju had a wealth of experience under his belt before this album. After this release that wealth has grown so much that a few more notches on said belt will have to be put into place. Well done that man!
8/10
Reviewed by Nicky