µ-Ziq - Bilious Paths
Released under his original performing alias, "µ-Ziq" in 2003, Bilious Paths sees Mike Paradines tentatively return from the lighter, quasi-orchestral, and at times acid-driven experimentation of Royal Astronomy to some vastly denser harmonic backdrops and more chaotic breaks.
Cases in point: "Meinheld" (Track #2) -- synths, distortion and breaks abound in classic IDM-DnB fashion, with brief vocal drops dispersed throughout the song to provide it with a slightly human touch. No less than 5 minutes later, in "Octelcogopod" Mike retains his string-based stylings displayed on Royal Astronomy, this time, however, graciously underlying layers of glitched out flourishes, perc. stutters and robotic vocal messages.
So, evidently the entire album does not consist of relentless break chops weaved between piles of distortion. 'Ziq, as always, is ever-willing to display his versatility on this record; "Aec Merlin" does away with conventional use of the (Amen-style) break loop as the rhythmic core, opting instead for some throwback minimalist, albeit still intricate percussive stutters whilst the remnants of a breakbeak continually flutters around, filtered pan-left to pan-right. Here, a child of juxtaposition, Ziq's regretably rare use of pads complement his heavy percssive sampling and slicing on tracks like "Siege of Antioch", and this synthesis is at its best when the consonance of the pads bely the seemingly anarchic but altogether coherent assault of the kick+snare+chipmunk vocal (yes, chipmunks!)
For enigmatic reasons, I've always had mixed reactions to µ-Ziq albums, and this one is no exception. Perhaps the best explanation regarding this album might be that whilst I do covet most of the tracks, there are some where the artistic venture fails to strike me as genuine, despite its clear innovative value (refer to "On/Off") and novel interest. Like most good IDM full-lengths however, there are moments of subdued beauty (on both "...Antioch" tracks) and moments of primordial aggression, characteristic of breakcore ("Silk Ties") and even though to some it may be a point of contention, I can't help but feel enticed by the consequent sense of disparity.
Highlights:
- Siege of Antioch
- Silk Ties
- Grape Nuts pt. 1
- Mouse Bums
- Fall of Antioch
...and the Not-as-subjective assessment:
All things said, Bilious Paths is sure to appeal to even the casual Planet-Mu listener. It is a very solid album by any IDM fan's standard, not only for its technically brilliant content, but also for Mike's keen sense of variation and adventure.
Most of the time, after listening to each song I would tell myself that I wanted more of the same. Yet, given time, the next song, often of a disparate aesthetic, would engage me equally as the last -- and I suppose this phenomenon expresses how I feel about the album in general as well. It's to say that whilst it is far from the "perfect" album, I'm constantly left wanting more from 'Ziq -- thus finding more in his music -- and feel myself erring towards the repeat button... and when that wears out, to an earlier release.
HUM-O-METER: 8/10 HUMS
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