Sometimes a record comes along that sounds as if it had been beamed from another dimension.
Icu's
(pronounced ee-koo) debut LP,
Chotto Matte A Moment
, belongs in the same category as other groundbreaking, genre-defining records such as
Nevermind
,
Stone Roses
and
Daydream Nation
. This time, it's electronica goes punk, or vice-versa. Either way, this is the first beaming example of the melding of dance music and punk. It's a sweet taste of the future. Sure, the musical components -- standup bass, analog organ, oscillators, turntables, drum loops, samples, theremin and guitar -- are currently in vogue across a wide spectrum of styles, but
Icu
weaves them all together into a richly satisfying tapestry of some of the most refreshing and visionary music around.
"Temptation"
and "Flower and Moon" are standouts.
lays down its eerie hybrid in the twilight zone between DIY rock's raw edginess and drum'n'bass's trance-inducing netherworld. It's
Squarepusher
meets
Charlie Mingus
at
King Tubby's
studio. ~ Matthew Hilburn