I find it manifestly pleasing when people find their niche in life and are perfectly happy exploring it to its fullest, without a care in the other world for what is happening outside of their own interests. I should add an addendum to that; it pleases me when this happens and something creative and positive comes out of it. The world doesn’t need more OCD idiots like me who spend literally years honing the craft of being a genius in the world of first person shooters. What it does need is people like Weave. If you go back into the annals (sic) you’ll find a review for the first Weave album I reviewed, and a lot of the comments I made on that would still be relevant here. The same template of 90’s electronica holds fast, with melody and musicality still being first and foremost in the construction. Sadly, this attention to what might be called “old school ” values in the current musical climate means that the music on “Into the Manifold” might be considered old fashioned…no glitch, no drone and no autotune. What you do get though is a lovely sprinkling of exotic instruments (something that sounds like a dulcimer makes frequent appearances) and percussion that bedecks pretty sunshine-y songs that convey genuine emotional warmth (such as the lovely “Oltapia”). This album also feels more technically advanced than the previous offering and its blend of real instruments and programmed elements seems a lot more organically fused than I remember. In short, this album isn’t going to get hipsters raving about it but it is a sincere and enjoyable 41 minute trip into a slightly hippy-ish world of electronica that would have been at home on WARP or Ninja Tune before they decided image was more important than substance.
Kim Monaghan
