My Downfall (Original Soundtrack) has been billed as Venetian Snares’ spiritual and stylistic successor to his landmark album Rossz csillag alatt született, which married strings and jungle breakbeats to an effect stronger than anything this side of Aphex Twin’s Richard D. James Album.
Unfortunately, My Downfall isn’t as dynamic a listening experience as Rossz csillag alatt született. The album is mostly free of the breakbeats Venetian Snares trades in, but that’s not problematic. The issue is that the instrumentation sounds thin and flat, and many of the songs are too straightforward.
A Venetian Snares album usually is an exercise in abrupt chord changes and idiosyncratic time signatures. When these are replaced with four-chord string phrases that repeat for a few minutes, one can’t help but feel cheated, no matter how pretty the string phrase is.
“Integraation,” one of the few tracks on My Downfall containing drums, is unbelievable. Bowed strings are accompanied by synth squelches as the track progresses from strings and breaks towards an ending rooted in much more traditional jungle. However, moments like this are too few and far between.
Whereas Rossz csillag alatt született was consistently eye-opening, surprising the listener with each twist and turn, My Downfall is loaded with drum-free songs. The net effect is a disc that one hears in the background and only perks up when the drums kick in.
– Patrick Hajduch
Venetian Snares: www.venetiansnares.com
Planet Mu Records: www.planet-mu.com