Grade: C
The electronic music revolution was supposed to be the great equalizer. By eliminating the hurdle posed by having to learn an instrument or start a band, electronic technology was supposed to allow any kid with a computer and a keyboard to churn out great music right in his bedroom.
To some extent, the revolution has come to pass. Electronica is now ubiquitous - there is even a dance version of the Hamster Dance. But quantity does not equal quality - like punk rock before it, electronica's democratization of the musical process is as much a curse as a blessing. Sure, in the hands of a Goldie or a Moby, a techno song can be a beautiful thing. But such masterpieces are the exception, not the rule - the desert islands in a vast sea of repetitive drum loops and synthesizers.
Credit Britain's magnˇtophone with trying to rise above the tide. The group's CD starts on the right foot - it is beautifully packaged, with properly ironic song titles and is released on the ultra-cool British label 4AD. Unfortunately, the music does not live up to the snappy cover art. Ambient tracks like these are chill-room staples around the world, and magnˇtophone does little to distinguish itself musically. Instead, the group tarts its music up with half-hearted sonic manipulations - digital burps and jitters more reminiscent of skips on the CD than anything interesting. The electronic boom has sparked dozens of sound-alike acts, and for all its ostensible sophistication, magnˇtophone ends up as just another also-ran.
