Easy Changes: Magic Tunes EP
foundsound

Operating under the Easy Changes moniker, Moscow duo Sil and Denis Guttersnipe bring a lethal groove sensibility to their foundsound debut. In keeping with the group's name, the EP's three tracks are characterized by an irrepressible ebb and flow and near-obsessive propulsion. The opener “Magic Tunes” struts rambunctiously for almost nine minutes, scattering showers of burbling percussive accents, claps, and drum slams over a bass-driven pulse that moves as stealthily as a jaguar tracking prey. Ping-ponging blips rise to the surface as the volume escalates and pressure builds, the groove so energized it seems poised to explode. A little slower and a bit funkier, “Hungry Wood” oozes serious bite too with its combination of crisp snare hits, scratchy percussion, and waves of reverb while the more experimental “Eggplant 04” sounds a tad scatterbrained by comparison. Though there's still a quirky sensibility in play and an incorporation of found sounds, Easy Changes' relentless attack imbues its material with a direct and clear-headed focus, making Magic Tunes EP slightly less wacky but no less satisfying than other foundsound releases.

July 2007