Paquet Surprise

Departing from his drone work on Kranky (but making music very much in tune with his recent collaborative works and releases on Carpark), Greg Davis teams up with IRCAM employee/composer Sébastien Roux for a 44-minute, nine-song session that blends the digital and organic worlds rather erratically, but with intriguing results. Blending together psychedelic, folk, and world influences, Davis and Roux twist, granulate, strangle, and manipulate sounds that are in some ways beautiful and original and in other ways feel like a predictable MAX/MSP computer workout. But for every moment of predictability, there's a moment of serene beauty to cancel it out. "Good Decision" and "To See the Wonderful World" wouldn't be out of place on a Brian Wilson record, had he maintained his creative sonic explorations and trailblazing into the 21st century, while "Tidal Pool" and the album's closing track bring to light the best moments of Eno and Kevin Shields' bodies of work. Another creative victory for both Davis and Roux, who individually seem to be amassing quite respectable win percentages.