THE END IS THE BEGINNING IS THE END!
December 2004
Spooky Monkey – ORIGIN
Spooky Monkey’s debut CD release earlier last July was probably one of
the best things the local scene produced this year. The fact that Spooky
Monkey, aka Alex and Michael, have released another album that is
possibly even better than Scaremongering Project is not only testament
to their proficiency but also to the depth of their creativity. Both
Scaremongering Project and this new release, simply titled Origin, are
soundtracks to an exhibition, but are on different parallels to one
another. The Scaremongering Project was more of a concept album inspired
by a number of short stories from the pen of Anton Bonnici and
constructed to reflect the multi-dimensional exhibition of the same
name. Origin on the other hand, is an album that splits the main concept
into several parts, tackling the main theme from a variety of angles.
The main inspiration for the new album was in fact an exhibition (of the
same name) featuring the artwork of
Lisa Falzon and Fabiola Agius Anastasi. This time, Spooky Monkey
chose not to take their inspiration directly from the artists’ work,
opting instead to explore the several connotations of the word Origin
itself and taking the resulting references as the base for each of the
11 individual tracks on offer. This may not appear to be reflected in
the choice of song titles, which, put next to each other spell out yet
another perspective of the word Origin. And while trying to make sense
of “What is the difference between the beginning and the end or the end
and the beginning?” may appear a tad too troublesome, listening to the
music here certainly isn’t!
Musically, Spooky Monkey have taken their cue from a minimalist
standpoint, with most of the music on offer reflecting a largely ambient
vibe gelled together by an overwhelming sensation of open space
punctuated by sharp sampling, lush rhythm patterns and mellow breakbeats.
Another vital factor is the presence of the very elements that seep into
the music to give each track its particular aura, namely the inferred
applications of the word Origin, such as Life, Sin, Love, Light or
Energy. The latter in particular was instrumental in producing one of
the more innovative and interesting tracks on offer here, with the track
in question being entirely constructed from samples of pulsars. The use
of vocals is scarce and mostly spoken not sung, which gives the music an
intimate, almost ethereal edge. This, and its strength as a stand-alone
record are ultimately what give Origin the advantage over the equally
significant Scaremongering Project CD.
Read our review
of Scaremongering Project
here!
Recommended weblink:
www.spookymonkey.com
Recommended weblink: www.chiaroscuroart.com
