Moodring: Scared of Ferret

Scared of Ferret is an album laced with the gentle subconscious sounds of alienation. Always low key, haunting vocal melodies drift in and out over a dense layer of electronic sounds and instrumentation.

'Rintin Fire' is the epitome of this, with a cold brooding sound driven by a simple echoing drum beat. The track doesn't really go anywhere, but the atmosphere is such that it does manage to retain interest, almost despite itself.

At its best the music can be hypnotic, with percussive rhythms interrupted by the occasional gentle crescendos in the sound. '#9' evokes Kraftwerk with its sustained electronic notes, and the layered synths of 'Bulbul Tarang' build to a pleasing conclusion. Ultimately, though, there isn't really enough there to sustain interest. Too many of the pieces simply meander aimlessly, allowing the atmosphere the band so clearly want to create to turn stagnant. The vaguely unsettling vocals soon lose their lustre of mystery, and by the end of the album have become grating and uninterested. What begins with intriguing poise, ends with as an irritation.

Scared of Ferret is an alienating album. That, in itself, isn't a bad thing. The problem is that it doesn't feel alienating because of deliberate decisions by the band, rather, it feels alienating because the band sound apathetic and aloof, and seem to run out of ideas a little. Neither immediate enough to bring the listener on side, nor challenging enough to push any boundaries, the album ends up in an unhappy middle ground.

Track List:
1. Pole Cat Intro
2. Rintin Fire
3. #9
4. Scared of Ferret
5. Shaker Tab
6. Colin Wilson
7. Bulbul Tarang
8. The Weasel
9. Into the Doom
10. Ricketts
11. Horse

Added: November 25th 2009
Reviewer: Richard Wheelhouse
Score:
Related Link: Silber Media
Hits: 2134
Language: english

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