“Konglomerat is yet another very good album from TM Solver who built long minimalist structures loaded of essences of Keller & Schönwälder and of Frank Klare”
1 Council of Elders 4:13 2 Peripterous 14:32 3 Friendly Woodoo 15:27 4 Specters in Little 7:30 5 Rumpelstiltskin 11:04 6 Heart of Synth 17:39 SynGate CD-r TM11
(CD-r/DDL 70:28) (V.F.) (New Berlin School)
Stridulations and synth waves with disparate chants open this last album of TM Solver. Quite slowly, Council of Elders gets tied-up to our ears with a delicate permutation in the floating airs of a synth and of its lyrical approach. This short introduction of atmospheric particles accentuates the approach always very scenic of Thomas Meier who always manages to fetch a point of intensity where the listener expects it least. Peripterous starts where Council of Elders has run aground. Except that here the layers of dark voices replace the drifting harmonies of the synth and a line of bass sequences draws a heavy and slow rhythm, as a hypnotic ascent, with other sequences which gurgle of a bitter tone by chewing this fascinating climbing filled of soft fluty perfumes and of synth lines of which pierce our eardrums like an effect of worn bagpipe. The structure hits a small wall of atmospheres around the 7 minutes, evacuating some sequences in some thin lines of starving voices, before resuming this badly defined rhythm which eventually sounds like a good morphic cosmic Funk. Thomas Meier feels always very at ease in the art to develop long minimalist structures by adding effects and modulations in the sequences which enrich his long sonic crusades. It’s the essence of KONGLOMERAT, already the 11th solo album of TM Solver which turns out to be his most accomplished on the German label SynGate.
Long very juicy sonic torsade as well as ethnic percussions open Friendly Woodoo and its evolutionary corridors. Sequences sparkle from everywhere, creating an electronic language with syllables which whirl on the oscillating curves of a good line bass. Jingles release forms of different tones and our ears perceive even a strange panting in this universe multicolored of ill-assorted tones. And a strange approach of mechanical octopuses, which have difficulty in unsticking their suction cups, gets bind to these percussions which worked hard all alone at the dawn of the 4 minutes, bringing a first change of phase of Friendly Woodoo with percussions/pulsations which modulate a kind of morphic Techno. The solos float and the effects of synth multiply the attacks, like fireworks which stain of unreal colors one night of absent moon. Playing on this minimalist approach, TM Solver develops a good structure decorated carefully which will continue for some next 10 minutes. Intense and ambient, Specters in Little justify its place by a good floating movement with layers of organ filled of dark tones which add a darker weight to KONGLOMERAT. Decorated with these effects of percussions and with cybernetic language which crown the music of this last opus of TM Solver, Rumpelstiltskin offers a strong rhythm which follows the one of a train. The movement increases appreciably the pace with a fascinating effect of breathlessness under the purring of a synth which scatters aptly these rumbling layers which follow the course of Rumpelstiltskin since its zero point. After a small ambient phase, the rhythm regains some tonus with a livelier and pulsatory movement under a night of stars which break and some skillfully scattered harmonies of a synth. It’s a good title and a good hypnotic New Berlin School very Keller & Schönwälder with a beautiful tint of Groove, like in Peripterous. Madder, Heart of Synth unties a package of small sequenced Spirograph patterns. The movement is lively and curt with spirals and circles which interlace their oscillations in a surprising continual coming and going of sequences in tones and in beatings just slightly different to seduce those who remembers the wonderful work of Frank Klare. And the solos! Always very aerial and harmonious that we float with their airs.
I like the minimalist universe of TM Solver. Thomas Meier sets up high walls of charms everywhere around his structures just with enough nuances in tones and forms to seduce amply those who favor this kind of EM. It’s some good New Berlin School with the vision which differs due to the massive use of synths among which the solos, the harmonies and the effects inject a dose of sedation on hard, brisk and lively rhythms. Yeah… in the end, KONGLOMERAT is a very good album!
Sylvain Lupari (December 23rd, 2016) ***½**
Available at SynGate's Bandcamp