Review Summary: A diverse collection of lush ambient pieces leading from murky swamps to sun-baked plains and humid forests. Woob is at the top of his game.
Repurpose. Nylon. Giant Stroke. Stranger Air. Departure. 85-bit. The track names of UK electronic musician Woob's latest album, Repurpose, tell the reader precious little about them. Indeed, one might think that the artist chose them by stabbing his finger into a dictionary at random. Besides some pink-hued cover art, it's difficult to glean much about the album or ascertain what exactly it is. But Repurpose is a highlight of the (somewhat mysterious) producer's scarce discography, and is a must-listen for ambient music fans, headphones required.
The origins of Repurpose lie in Woob's 1995 album, "Woob 4495." While the latter is now deleted and difficult to buy, it is easy enough to find and listen to online, and a couple of its songs were repackaged into "EP1," released in 2009. Repurpose is described by Woob as "The spiritual successor to Woob 1194," and includes "samples from various Em:t compilations." In any event, let's get on with the album.
The first track, Repurpose, begins with some electronic bleeps and gurgles. It stays tame until about three minutes in, when the first synthesizer note fades in. It's barely perceptible, but begins to build until it reaches a crescendo, and then the vocal samples kick in. The effect is difficult to describe in text, but it's dramatic and very striking, a high point on the album. Following that, the track is mellow with faint strings, more gurgling, and some quiet synth melodies and ephemeral beats. Turn up the volume.
Repurpose drifts into Nylon, an edit of "Later" from Woob 4495. Woob cut out the tense, minimal intro, an unusual choice. Still, Nylon boasts some great live instrumentation, including strumming guitars, mournful horns, hand drums and another string instrument that I've yet to identify. The recurring chants from Woob 4495 are there too. It's not as varied as Repurpose, but it's certainly worth listening to.
Nylon trickles (the best word to describe it) into the dark, swampy Giant Stroke, which Woob fans probably remember from em:t 1197 or its re-release. Giant Stroke is more world-music inspired, using bells, deep bass, twangy strings, an honest-to-god gong and subtle tides of synth until the simple beat kicks in. A very unusual sound appears, either a vocal chant or another instrument. There are simply too many different sounds to write down, but Giant Stroke is great stuff. I associate it with wet, wintery days. The synth gradually fades out into...
...Stranger Air. This is a direct reference to 1194's "Strange Air," and is another highlight. It has more whizzing synths, and then a very familiar texture, taken straight from Woob's earlier "Mould." A few discordant synths and glitchy clicks and buzzes. (I am about 90% sure that the faint croaking heard is pulled directly from 1194's "Emperor.") There's an eerie crunching sample, then the drones intensify. Then the vocals -- yes, the vocals. The effect is dark, intense.
Departure is next. (It is two combined tracks from 4495: "Cupboard" and "Depart.") It is easily the best track on the album, and one of Woob's standout pieces. Its opening is quiet, barely perceptible. Then, the wet, grumbling bass note comes in, elongated and deep. Chimes twinkle in the background like raindrops shining in the sun. The first notes play, and a flute surfaces to the foreground. The spongy beat kicks in, and a violin riff hums through the layers of sound. The conglomeration of all this is impressive. 10:30 is one of my favorite moments in a song -- I won't describe it, you'll just have to listen. Mike Watson, of Ultima Thule fame, describes it as "a dreamy, disorientating flight through some mountainous inner landscape," and that's spot-on. After a while, the beat tapers off, and not much happens from that point on.
After that, 85-bit is jarring. It starts simple with a recurring synth, some vocals and an electric violin. Then things get a bit spooky. Glitchy tones seep in, building up to a shriek, then begins to churn. A pause, and the beat begins, and you'd be forgiven for mistaking it as another song, let alone another artist. It's an interesting hint of things to come in "Return To The City," which signals another dramatic stylistic change. But that's another album and another review.
In short, this is a great album. It's available to stream online, so by all means, do so!
