Blaubac

"Perdurance" (Album, 2002)

Moth Records

Simon Rhodes' intriguing Moth Records provides a comfortable home for Balubac's first release. Track titles for this mostly instrumental release of Freyon, Photerene and Electron suggests that this might be Node bound. But not at all, this is far more organic and has an unpredictable jazz influence that it as welcome as it is irritating. For just as you think a piece has really found a sweet spot, it changes, and usually not for the better.

Despite having listened to this many times over many months, I still find it hard to get a grip on it. I'm not sure why this has proven to be such a slippery eel of an album, but even now attempting to summarise in a readily coherent fashion is a challenge. That in itself must be some sort of praise as far as I'm concerned. Yet the conclusion I keep coming to is not one of satisfaction, but one that leaves Perdurance wanting. 6/10

Rob Dyer (January 2005)

Official Blaubac website: http://www.blaubac.co.uk