gullbuy music review

Lali Puna

title

Scary World Theory

label

Morr Music

format
CD

Lali PunaThis CD is much better than I figured it would be! Morr Music to me always represented electronica. Lali Puna are very vocal song based on this disc. Lali Puna are a band from Munich that are fronted by Korean vocalist Valerie Trebeljahr, with members of The Notwist, Iso 68, Tied & Tickled Trio, and the man who records as Console. 'Scary World Theory' runs a short 38 minutes, but the length is perfect for the consistent songs placed right in a row. My faves are the opening cut 'Nin-com-pop', 'Contratempo' (#4), 'Don't Think' (#8), and 'Come On Home' (#9). There is only one instrumental on the CD. '50 Faces Of' is not one of my favorite cuts. When you play an instrumental, it needs to have an upfront feature to engage me. For instance, the first song on Mum's Morr Music CD had this percussive sound thrown so far out front it defined the cut. '50 Faces Of' is just standard fare electronica to me. I really want to hear the 7' remix single of 'Nin-com-pop'. I'll bet Two Lone Swordsmen put the same magic into the cut as they did on the great mix of 'Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi)' they did for Saint Etienne. 'Nin-com-pop' sounds a lot like the Berlin duo Quarks who record for Monika Enterprises. The music and the vocal are excellent. 'Contratempo' has French vocals sung through a device which makes them sound like an answering machine message. The music has the prevalent bass sound that Contriva use, pulling a debt which goes back to Peter Hook, the bassist of Joy Division. 'Don't Think' and 'Come On Home' have an almost 'Miss Kittin' or Ladytron deadpan vocal. To certain degrees all of the four favorite cuts I chose on this disc have that kind of vocal. Many of the other tracks have a whispered vocal that I don't like as much, but I like this disc very much for #'s 1, 4, 8 and 9.

---Carl, December 4, 2001