Rating:
Genre:
Electronica
Release Date: 04/08/2003
Sandwiched between a pair of 2003 records,
10th and
Songbook,
Assembler isn't a record for the beat-freaks
or the indie kids. Instead,
Takemura pays homage to
musique concrète composers of the past with a set of free-form
tone poems. Astonishingly described by
Takemura himself as being "filled with melodies and even harmonies,"
Assembler encompasses a parade of untraceable sample sources and
field recordings, most of them organized into bursts of squelchy static. Though this isn't an accessible work, even by the standards of most
experimental acts he's associated with,
Takemura shows a surprising ease at translating his programming talents here, just as he had previously in the fields of
experimental techno and
indie pop. Dedicated listening to
Assembler proves his claims about the record's melodic power, with a set of tones and pitches organized into compelling listening.
~John Bush, All Music Guide