APPLIANCE IMPERIAL METRIC ALBUM MUTE, PLAYGROUND RELEASE: JUNE 11, 2001 REVIEW: JULY 25, 2001

The minimalist post rock period of Appliance is over. The original purist approach, including a rock instrumentation and some analogue machinery, has been sprinkled with digital stardust, making for a fuller sound than on the rather restrained “Six Modular Pieces“.
But the biggest change in Appliance's ever so detached, observational music is the growing presence of James Brooks’ vocals. The pieces are starting to sound more like proper songs, although Brooks' meticulously keeps his neutral and reporting style, suppressing all feelings.
The music, on the other hand, has been picking up speed, perhaps by chucking some of the weighty monotony out of the window. “Imperial Metric“ is a vitamin injection for a band under the threat of anonymity among similarly sounding German colleagues.
Hopefully they’ll keep shooting it up, because Appliance still tend to leave few emotional impressions in me. Smooth and intricate, yes. Smart and stylish, definitely. But downright stunning? Not yet, anyway.

MATTIAS HUSS