This wasn't my first listening to Phew as I've already heard this album several times before. I still remember when after I had just joined this forum I stumbled upon one Urban's post recommending this album. His description really intrigued me so I had to check it out. Let me see: post-punk era, quirky vocals, kraut-rock motorik beats brought by the members of Can, no wave sensibility, off kilter electronic sounds, minimalism - there was no way in hell I wouldn't love this. And every time I hear it, it holds up to my initial reaction. Nine songs and about 35 min long, this album just flies so easily. What I like the most about it is that it has a certain pop directness on the outside, a simplicity on the surface, but when you sink in, it reveals many layers and a great feeling for the aesthetic of minimalism and its sound collage.
This is evident on pretty much every song and one other great quality of this album is that it sounds as an organic whole. Although the songs don't sound uniform and similar to each other, they still maintain the same overall spirit. They are infused with a certain quirkiness and playfulness even in the darkest and out there moments. This is something that prevents it from being self-serious and is another reason why this album may feel poppy to some people. But I consider this to be a good thing.
From the opening song you've been hit by this eccentric, out of tune voice singing in Japanese, but might as well be singing in some made up language. That's how I see the role of her voice here, like one of the many sound pieces that all have their place in the mosaic. Well, she sometimes approaches the almost pop melody, but it's always with a hint of falling apart.
The strongest song for me is 'Signal' and her singing here is the most energetic, almost with a punk directness. Well, it's no coincidence this song is my favorite. It starts with a deep, hollow guitar tone reminiscent of some New York No Wave bands particularly Glenn Branca's Theoretical Girls and early Sonic Youth sound a bit later. It's a simple sound which when repeated every time goes a bit deeper on the scale and back, thus creating an incredible tension. Underneath is a complex kraut rock rhythmic repetition with some interesting electronic touches. This song is a perfect blend of kraut rock motorik feel and no wave schizophrenic intensity.
I must say I didn't find any weak songs here and beside 'Signal' it's hard for me to choose favorites. But, if I have to I will single out 'Doze' with its mysterious flute-like melody, electro background and a lonely guitar riff that occasionally emerges. Her voice here is especially out of tune trying to catch the melody. Excellent! 'Mapping' is another great one. Her singing here sounds like counting and I especially love those distant, almost industrial heavy strokes. Hypnotic bass line and a sudden appearance of a wind instrument (saxophone maybe) reminded me of Tuxedomoon for a moment. Despite this straightforward bass line and her 'counting', the whole song feels like it's on a verge of breaking into pieces. Brilliant! 'P-Adic' is incredibly catchy and the closest this album comes to (electro) pop. 'Aqua' is also very good with electro impulses that sound like they belong in some sci-fi movie; distant background voice, child-like melody. This song looks repetitive, but it's actually always changing underneath, a perfect example of sound collage in the song form. 'Closed' and its variant 'Circuit' round this album nicely.
Oh well, this turned out much longer than I expected (I got carried away). In one word: Brilliant!
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