Nautilus
are you an axolotl
planet mu

Skyler McGlothlin's new album, are you an axolotl, is effectively the prototypical Planet Mu album. And we mean this as the highest form of praise. Those of you familiar with the label's output thus far will understand what this means, but what we're getting at here is a sense of drawing from a diverse range of artistic vantagepoints to create a compelling new body of work. From the label that brough us such treats as Capitol K and Joseph Nothing, the tradition continues.

Track by track, the album sounds a lot like the now-familiar contemporary 'IDM' sound put forth by labels like Tigerbeat6 and Neo Ouija. But there's a level of cohesion here that sometimes is lacking on some of these other record labels. In short, this record is an excellent listen from start to finish.

A number of the tracks take the forlorn and melodic chordlines that have become the norm on this style of release, but for all the familiarity we may experience as listeners, the songs have a recognizable, catchy feel. A few songs even employ rapping stylings that recall Cex's best work.

None of the tracks are too long, as a rule, and generally average about three to four minutes. That gives us plenty of time to get comfortable in the gentle electronic sounds of songs such as "081301", which starts in a flurry of Mike Paradinas-esque breakbeats but evolves into a tender lullaby of pleasant vocal wailings. Other material uses a panoply of influences as well, such as the strangely compelling "It's lonely in the streets", which almost comes off as some sort of Sinatra-styled ballad--as played through a 1970s soundsystem, listened to on headphones purchased in 2000.

As we reach the album's end, McGlothlin moves through a few workouts on the DSP-themed electro-cycle, until closing on the exquisite "Why it got to be so damn tough." A warped guitar, wah-wahed through the seventies and replayed through the artist's laptop, fades into nothingness, until we realize it's time to start the disk anew.