Track Listing

1. Cimple
2. The Move
3. Dos + Don�ts (W/ Gruff Rhys)
4. Girl Toy
5. Dumb Day
6. Eyelashings
7. Soft + Open
8. One Eye Round The Warm Corner
9. Aplomb
10. The Matter (W/ Nina Nastasia)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39785 in Music
• Released on: 2005-02-21
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

CD Description
Known for his human beatbox skills, DJ/producer Boom Bip has made breaks records, collaborated with rappers, and is generally considered a hip-hop artist. Yet while BLUE EYED IN THE RED ROOM, the artist's fifth release, is threaded throughwith syncopated, push-pull beats that are the foundation ofhip-hop, it draws from a remarkably wide stylistic palette.In the manner of IDM maestros like Four Tet, Boom Bip has made an album of lush electronica that fuses a cornucopia of samples with warm ambient textures and glitchy, digital rhythms.
From piano-led postrock ("Cimple") to clicking, laptop lullabies ("Soft and Open") to circular, Steve Reich-ianpattern music ("Girl Toy") to pulsing space-rock ("Eyelashings"), Boom Bip blends strains of 20th century experimental music with surprising aplomb. Equally interesting is the influence of indie rock here. Super Furry Animals' singer GruffRhys and underground singer/songwriter Nina Nastasia are the album's two vocal guests, and touches like the churning guitar outtro to "Do's and Don'ts" and the bedsitter guitar balladry of "One Eye Round the Warm Corner" indicate that BoomBip has no fear of breaking down genre distinctions. That aim is always an admirable one, and it is especially rewarding on an album as finely made as BLUE EYED IN THE RED ROOM.

Customer Reviews

Bada Boom!
Never heard of him before this album so I did a bit of digging and found out the bloke is signed to the Lex label, linked to Warp here in the UK and therefore a label likely not to sign traditional hip hop artists. The trail led me to his debut album with Doseone from everyone's favourite indie hiphop group Clouddead, and it's as messy as you would imagine. With Doseone firing of his usual wide array of verbal barrages Boom Bip pulls together all sorts of sounds like a particularly enthusiastic colour blind Lego fan. And when I mean all sorts I really mean all sorts; this is a proper mishmash of glorious sounds.

Having had his latest LP, Blue Eyed In The Red Room, on heavy repeat I can univocally say the guy definitely can stand up on his own without the need to have a heavyweight MC backing him up. But then this is not a hip-hop album and nor is it a sample heavy work of the ilk RJD2 or DJ Shadow have made their own. Rather it's a lovely collection of downbeat instrumentals that are so swoon-worthy that they could rock a rabid dog to sleep. It is beautiful dope music but not woozy, in fact even from the first track Cimple it has crystal clear keyboards playing a simple ditty whilst a hypnotic loop runs in the background. Do's & Don'ts picks up the pace as well as providing the first of two great vocal contributions with the distinctive Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals continuously chanting over an almost Egyptian sounding musical collage. The pace of the music actually changes half way through, almost turning the song into two distinct pieces of music. Girl Toy really does amply demonstrates that Boom Bip does not need superstars to make beautiful songs and this is a luscious piece of wimsy starting ever so delicately and then slowly building in layers until you're gently floating along with it. Dumb Day makes interesting use of snare drums whilst Eyelashings starts of with an aggressive baseline before launching itself in the clouds again with beautiful tinkly pianos. This minimalist theme continues with Soft and Open and One Eye Round The Warm Corner is the least electronica sounding song on the whole album; just an acoustic guitar and a few strings. Lovely. The Matter closes the album with dreamy vocals from Nina Nastasia who sounds kind of like Hope Sandoval. A simple lulling drone is conjured by Boom Bip and allows Nina to gently croon "I don't believe in the power of love, I don't believe in the wisdom of stars" to a fitting and beautiful conclusion. Essential.

Great album, but get the version with the bonus disc...
I'll keep this short - as the previous reviewer summed up so well, this is a beatiful album of gentle, tightly constructed instrumentals with a groovy kick. Aside from the slightly out-of-place Gruff Rhys, it's an album that hangs together very well and is highly recommended.

However, if you can spare a couple of extra pounds, do get the version with the bonus 3" CD with 'Red Room', a 13 minute bonus track. It is a rawer, more pulsating instrumental, one that shares many sounds with post-rock bands Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed You Black Emperor. It really is a bonus CD worthy of the extra cash, so to anyone interested in this album, surf on over to the other listing for it and grab a nice extra while you're at it!