Flica - Nocturnal (2008) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Electrocoustic, Experimental
Myspace
Preview

Tracklist :

01. all
02. mid
03. walk
04. light
05. well
06. find
07. fucir
08. back
09. say
10. y

flica is an electro-acoustic outfit produced by euseng seto from the evolving music scene of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Born in 1982, he begun his exquisite journey in conceptualizing and producing delicate home-brew music since 2005 with his first electronica duo project muxu with member huat liang.

Having realized the need to explore further and experiment with his own music style, euseng seto started flica in early 2007, solely crafting and producing music on his own. As a result, the subtle sounds that flica creates are exceptionally melodic and uncomplicated, which perfectly mirroring his perceptions towards daily personal feelings on life and nature.

Nocturnal, in much the same vein as his debut, Windvane and Window, is a collection of sparsely-titled snippets of IDM melancholia courtesy of Euseng Seto which promises to warm cockles and melt hearts no matter how low the temperatures outside might be sinking. Fortunately, gone are the wispy and forgettable voices that pervaded his first record and acted as the sole obstacles to its excellence. In their place stand beats of even more delectable glitchiness than ever before and layers of immensely tasteful sampling and keyboard playing, as would perhaps be expected of one for whom both Akira Kosemura and Haruka Nakamura have previously provided remixes.

There is not a single aspect of this album which escapes without being shrouded in a halcyon haze or imbued with a wholeheartedly Keatsian melancholy. Even the kick sounds feel rounded and unobtrusive, in direct contrast to the slightly clinical and aggressive kicks that are often to be found on otherwise similar records. I have no doubt that some will view this similarity of feel and sound across all of the tracks as a hallmark of dreaded predictability, but considering the way in which Flica's work stands out from many others in the IDM crowd in terms of its ability to utilize complexity in an extraordinarily accessible and comprehensible manner, I feel it unfair and, indeed, mistaken to think of it as anything other than consistency.

On the point of complexity, Nocturnal is one of those records which requires particularly intent and repeated listening in order to fully appreciate that it is considerably more elaborate and intricate than first impressions might suggest. ~~ TSB