[brus] REST OF MAN ALBUM SHADOWPLAY ELECTRONICA RELEASE: MARCH 11, 2003 REVIEW: MARCH 28, 2003

I own recordings dated as far back as 1998 with [brus], a one man project from Trollhättan, Sweden, and I spotted something unique even in those early compositions. Andreas Wallgren seems to write about what comes to him, no matter what the feeling. The result is always quite obstinate, with a hard-to-pinpoint quality that sets him apart from many of his colleagues.
The foundation, though, often speaks to me on a lower, more direct, level aided by cleverly arranged melodies and unorthodox song structures. Still, it would be wrong not labeling some of the material on "Rest of Man" synthpop. Bouncy and multi layered, "Elsewhere Song" is the only dance tune, slightly reminiscent of Sista mannen på jorden. Most of the other content move through mellow territories, like the beautiful "Ad infinitum", an emotionally dark slice of brooding electropop, shining especially in the chorus. Holding a total of eight tracks, "Rest of Man" leaves me fresh and wanting more, a nice break from all the "extended play" discs released simply to put the long CD playing time to "good" use.
There are some aspects of [brus] that aren't pleasurable, however. The songs have all been ripped from Wallgren's original demo cassettes, making the production and sound quality suffer (even though the mastering has worked wonders). On occasion Andreas also struggles with his vocals, but that may also be a result of the poor recording conditions.
I would love to take part of future releases from [brus], where his unique song writing abilities merge with professional production and sound engineering. This is still an eye opener for fans of electronic music.

NIKLAS FORSBERG