Minotaur Shock - Maritime

Genre electronica Publisher 4AD External Links Official Minotaur Shock Website Official 4AD Website

Four or five years ago, the term "folktronic" was one of the dominant buzzwords in hipster circles, a largely self-descriptive subgenre of electronic music which had artists combining synthetic sounds with organic instrumentation to create a fascinating musical hybrid that was relaxed, shimmering, and most of all, pastoral. Unlike the ecstasy-laced compositions of mid-90s techno pioneers, this music was sober, clear-headed, slightly minimalist, and very optimistic, as such notable acts like Boards of Canada, Momus (whose 2001 album Folktronic would lend the sound its name), and Four Tet took electronic music into previously uncharted territory. In 2003, Manitoba's (now Caribou) Up in Flames proved to be folktronica's high water mark, a glorious, exhilarating laptop cut-and-paste collage that was, in this writer's mind anyway, the easy choice for the best album of that year.

So after that initial period, the challenge for laptop composers remains, where to go from here? Boards of Canada and Four Tet continue to ply their trade very well, while Caribou has delved into different genres such as hip-hop and krautrock on its 2005 album. Electronic music fans are always on the lookout for the next maverick, so when a new artist comes along and sticks to the same folktronic formula of five years ago, it's hard to get genuinely excited about the prospect. However, in the case of someone like David Edwards, operating under the guise of Minotaur Shock, while not really breaking any new ground on his second album, reawakens a genre that was getting tired and stuffy, throwing open the shutters, letting the warm sun and a nice cool breeze in to bring the sound back to life.

When you first hear those glitchy, clicking beats, it's easy to think, "Here we go again," but Maritime takes that folktronic formula, and pulls it off so effortlessly, that before you know it, you're being swept away by Edwards's languid synth melodies, which owe as much to sea shanties and the 80s pop of Hall & Oates as to Boards of Canada. "Muesli's" whimsical clarinets and accordions kick the album off in a salty-aired, down-by-the-seaside style, but it doesn't take long for the retro pop to kick in. Songs like "(She's in) Drydock Now", "Six Foolish Fisherman" and "The Broads" utilize synth melodies so shamelessly 80s, they sound directly inspired by corny comedy movie scores from 20 years ago (Summer Rental, anyone?), yet the songs are so lighthearted, it's impossible not to be swayed.

However, Edwards does manage to show us there's more to Minotaur Shock's sound than just a bunch of flighty melodies. The lovely "Somebody Once Told Me it Existed But They Never Found It" blends acoustic guitar and thrumming synths, while the adventurous "Hilly" has Edwards showing his prowess as a producer, going for the same kind of manic energy and deeply layered production that Caribou's Dan Snaith has done so well in the past. "Twosley" and the stately album closer "Four Magpies" add a more somber tone to the record, like the odd cloud passing briefly in front of the sun. Fortunately, the cool shade only lingers for a minute or two, as the warmth always returns on Maritime, allowing us to return to basking happily.