Review by Matt Howarth of Sonic Curiosity

This CDR from 1998 features 36 minutes of lively electronic music.

Inventive guitars conspire with lush electronics to produce startlingly engaging tuneage. Delicate keyboards twinkle, each note glittering like falling ice particles. In some pieces, the percussion is softly muted to a remote background, contributing unintrusive tempos; in other tracks, the percussion steps into a more demonstrative role, slickly clacking with sinuous E-perc rhythms, but still retaining a desire to remain unpretentious. The basslines are expert at concealing themselves from obvious detection, but their sultry rumble integrally embellishes the music.

The guitar riffs interact superbly with the flowing electronics and the sparse-but-luxurious beats, generating soundscapes that are full of animation and ingenious verve.

Several of these tracks display a surprising 4AD influence, like voiceless Cocteau Twins. This tendency makes for an unexpected diversity among the colder, more electronic songs. At other times, the music bears solid comparison to the solo works of various members of Wire (specifically Colin Newman). Yet, despite these evident influences, Matera's compositional sense blazes with originality and refreshing appeal.

An uptempo sparkle flourishes in this music, saturating this contemporary electronic music with an agreeable liveliness. Although frequently different in tone and delivery, each song is like a splash of cooling water in a desert setting, leaving the listener dosed with subtle cheer and dreamy optimism.

This music has a unique quality about it, simultaneously (and successfully) striving to implement ambient and pop criteria. Few unions are as thoroughly rewarding as Matera's work.