CLARO
PITCHFORKMEDIA
Rating: 5.2
Warp Records is the obvious home for Lassi Nikko's latest guileless fusion of Autechre's algorithmic expositions and the Boards of Canada's ingenue nostalgia. Despite a deal with the Finnish label Exogenic, Nikko's previous album, Kobn-Itch-Ey, was an MP3-only release posted on his website-- Nikko thereby set his sights further abroad than merely his Finnish homeland. What irks, however, is that Lassi expanded his outlook only when it came to distribution. Claro, like its predecessor, is exactly what you'd imagine an Autechre/Boards of Canada collaboration to sound like, provided neither of them gave half a fuck. No surprises here, then. Just another diligently focused album that demands you pay attention to its careful approximations of other people's styles.
Claro opens with a modicum of promise. "In" is an intriguing collection of calliope flutters that cluster around a hummable tune. However, the following track, "Brothomstates Ipxen," simply sounds recovered from the Confield recycle bin. And it's decked out in triggered aerosol hi-hats that hiss to a close in a series of end-of-the-pier Wurlitzer flurries! "Kava" serenely drifts through the subdued moments of Autechre's Tri Repetae accompanied by... yet another diverting calliope! And on "25101999," Nikko returns to more mechanical Autechre-isms, never appreciating Booth & Brown's unraveling narrative mathematics. "-" is almost as empty as its title, a skipping broken-beat pattern playing host to a frolic of tinkling toy instruments.
Then comes "Mdrmx," Nikko's adoring tribute to Music has a Right to Children, with its softly echoed, fragile melody wanders through a poppy field of percussion. Beginning in a gloomy tide of thick bass burps, "TeNochRP" soon embraces a labored imitation of contorted steel. Just to heighten his sincerest brand of flattery, Lassi adds a dose of hip-hop swagger to the track in honor of Autechre's more b-boy side project, Gescom. With a judicious remix, the lumbering "Natin" could be transformed into a formidable Freq Nasty nu-school electro cut. As it stands, the track is far too pleased with its crinkled sophistication to be the effective battle weapon it could be. Claro (thankfully) concludes with "Viimo" which, at the last opportunity, does nothing to pull originality from the jaws of accomplished predictability.
As I've found with all too many recent IDM albums, Claro is utterly beholden to the twin fontes et origines of the style. And like too many others, Nikko proves himself a disciplined and occasionally astonishingly beautiful mimic, but a mimic nonetheless. This record does nothing to show the world what Lassi Nikko has to contribute, other than adding yet another light to the other bright but derivative lights that seek to eclipse each other in atmospheric intensity. Nikko's addition to this firmament, already radiant with banality, does nothing but blind me and force me to take a break from this whole genre temporarily. At the moment, I'm finding the murkier no-drama beats of Req's Sketchbook so much more illuminating than all of this dazzling but formulaic imitation.
-Paul Cooper, March 29th, 2002
POPMATTERS
Sometimes it can be hard not to wonder when exactly the IDM movement stopped producing truly innovative works and started to become a cheap, Autechre-derivative parody of itself. By now, with the huge influx of homegrown computer music made by adolescent boys in suburban homes across America, much experimental music sounds, for the most part, surprisingly similar. Groups like Autechre, Plaid, and Boards of Canada have cornered the more "mainstream" experimental market with their innovative and more groundbreaking works, so it's up to relatively lesser-knowns like Lassi Nikko (who records as Brothomstates) to continue to push the boundaries.
Well, no boundaries are being pushed with his latest release, Claro, on the granddaddy of IDM, Warp Records. That's not to say that this record is by any means substandard or unremarkable -- that would be far from the truth. It's just that, by now, this sort of thing has been done, and done really, really well. But enough of that. Claro is a lovely record in and of itself, produced by a young Finnish man with an affinity for out-dated equipment. Nikko presents us here with a lovely, subtle, and refined document of intense emotion wrapped in layers of frost and delivered with an unusually sincere, touching grace.
Like his fellow Warp brethren (Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, and the aforementioned Boards immediately come to mind), Nikko has an alluring way about him. His compositions tease without provoking, intrigue without annoying, and soothe without falling flat. From the cautious and delicate opening of "In." to the ethereal bells of "25101999", Nikko seems to mine his homeland's physical characteristics for inspiration. "In." moves hesitantly, using spare, delicate instrumentals tinged with an eerie sense of foreboding. There's something a bit frigid and distant, yet irrepressibly attractive on display here. "25101999" continues to intrigue the listener using complicated, broken rhythms punctuated every so often with crashes and bangs here and there, and muted overall by carefully controlled echoes before moving fully into Tom Jenkinson-style twisted beat weirdness.
Indeed, Nikko does seem rather fond of arrhythmic, unusual percussion. Hints of drum&bass neaten up "Kivesq", a scattered glitch-tune underscored by a lonesome, Asian-inspired melodic line and breathy, heartfelt, and full-bodied strings. "Detectiv Plok" takes on a slightly more retro feel, employing atonal beat experimentation and a slightly trippy melody. He smoothes things out with tracks like "Mr. Kitschock", a disarming minimal electro tune full of smoothly textured bleeps and pops rounded out by low, hesitant strings, and "-", a creepy, burbling noise track which calls to mind a modernized score for a film about some crazy scientist.
What separates this disc from the scads of inferior albums which fall under the IDM umbrella is a purposeful, undeniable feeling of human emotion. Nikko isn't screwing around with synths just for the sake of being weird or different-that schtick is so, like, 1996. He seems to be working within the widely accepted confines of Warp-style experimentation, but does display a knack for injecting each piece with something that extends past the simple machinery which he uses to create and manipulate sounds. Though not exactly original or exciting, Claro is well-executed, precise, and an overall arresting listen.
- Christine Hsieh, 25 April 2002
MISCREAT
Rating - (06/10)
‘Claro’ is the debut album from new Warp signing Brothomstates, aka Lassi Nikko.
On first listen, ‘Claro’ sounds very familiar. The music is not dissimilar to Funkstorung or Jega, and there are clear Black Dog influences, with much of the music revolving around delicate melodies and warm atmospherics. After a light opening track, stuttering, scattered drums drive the album forward and the tunes can get enjoyably chaotic at some points. However, ‘Claro’ can sometimes sound a bit too much like homage to the work of other artists.
Nevertheless, there is a real gem of a track waiting at the end of the album. ‘Viimo’ is beautiful Warp techno through and through - probably one of the best records of 2001. Given that ‘Claro’ is Brothomstate’s first outing, they are definitely a name to keep an eye on.
- Ronnie, ??.??.??
THEMILKFACTORY
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
At only 23, Lassi Nikko is the latest addition to the Warp roster. With his Brothomstates alter ego, the Finn has already triggered some interest in his native country. His first EP for Warp, Qtio, has gained the man a certain amount of recognition, and he his now introducing his first album.
Nikko developed an interest for electronic gear from an early age, starting by tempering with his father’s tape recorders, before moving onto computers and samplers. This has allowed him to perfect his blend of natural and artificial sounds, used to transcend his emotional states, driving each of his compositions. Claro is, therefore, a highly personal and subjective record. Despite a lingering feeling of slight minimalism, the structural backbone of Claro is rather complex, evoking as much Plaid (Brothomstates Ixpen) as the metallic constructions of Spooky’s Found Sound (Kava, Mr. Kitchock) or the pioneers of the Detroit sound (Te Noch RP). The melodies are basic and reminiscent of the Artificial Intelligence series, in their evolutive repetitiveness. This is a record inhabited by sine waves, abrasive percussive noises and intricate beats. Claro is hardly groundbreaking, as it suffers from Nikko’s constant name check with his influences. He, however, manages to keep the interest going enough, with clever touches of glitch and noises. The compositions are rather convincing, even when he extends his soundscapes to the more atmospheric moments of Autechre’s Tri Repetae (Viimo) or Chiastic Slide (Kivesq). Unfortunately, if Claro is a rather good album by all standards, it lacks the necessary personality that would make of it a brilliant, forward looking, record.
With Claro, Lassi Nikko proves beyond doubts that he has assimilated enough influences to produce some interesting music. It is however surprising to see Warp, who have got us used to more exiting releases, being associated with this rather unimaginative record.
- October 2001
DROWNED IN SOUND
Rating: 4,5 out of 5
Scandinavia has a reputation as a hotbed of musical talent. Look at the remarkable successes of Aqua and Whigfield for example. The latest in the line of exports from the Nordic nations is Brothomstates, aka 23-year-old Finn, Lassi Nikko, who, just like his aforementioned compatriots, makes ear-destroying, headache-inducing, violence-provoking noise for a living. The difference is that only Nikko does this intentionally.
Brothomstates’ first new material since the dislocated ‘Qtio EP’ earlier this year is occasionally mellow, frequently fractious, and always keen to wrong-foot the listener. Take track ten on this LP, ‘Mr Kitschock’. Imagine what Hot Butter’s novelty hit ‘Popcorn’ would have sounded like, had it been written by a tone-deaf man, who, whilst deep in the thralls of paranoia and under the influence of mind-altering substances, had then committed it to tape in the echoey surroundings of a public toilet. Imagine this, and, apart from risking some kind of mental collapse, you will have some idea of what large sections of ‘Claro’ are all about.
The very notion of a ‘tune’ is clearly not something that Nikko has a great deal of respect for. Not a problem. Listening to this record, it’s only sensible to conclude that, while melodies may sometimes be all well and good, you just can’t beat the sound of a modular synth having a fight with what appears to be a runaway steam-hammer.
There is something appropriate about Brothomstates presence on the Warp roster. Either Nikko took it upon himself to absorb much of the label’s ground-breaking output in his younger days, or it is an unlikely coincidence that much of his work so closely resembles past recordings by the likes of Autechre, Boards Of Canada and Aphex Twin. With such a non-linear collection of influences, it should really come as no surprise that ‘Claro’ is a marvellously twisted collection of strangled electronic sound.
- Jonathan Rawcliffe, August 2001
STYLUS
4.9
Once again, Warp Records punches the time clock by releasing another cookie-cutter electronic music release. The year started off somewhat eventful for Warp, with a myriad of releases from some of their top acts. Unfortunately, all of these top acts have failed to deliver records up to par with their previous output. Squarepusher released a bland rehashing of his drill ‘n bass roots, Aphex Twin released a double album that could have just as easily been an EP, Autechre confounded listeners with abstraction, and Plaid has been releasing the same album since they signed to Warp. So, it’s only logical for Warp to decide to bring in fresh blood. Chris Clark comes in to mimic Squarepusher’s style even better than he can himself, and Brothomstates takes influence from nearly all the great Warp artists to build a concoction of tracks for his debut album on Warp, Claro.
Going through this album is almost exactly like listening to the entire Warp Records back catalogue. Each element of each song can be traced back to its historical precedent on a previous release that was done three or more years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for nostalgia, but at the rate that artists recycle themselves these days, it appears that electronic music will not be where musical innovation comes from anymore.
With the release of his debut album in MP3 format, Lassi Nikko, the man behind Brothomstates, entered onto the scene with a solid collection of affecting music that was extremely personal and complex. Definite influences could be drawn from the Warp label, but there was also an abstractness in some of the tracks that led me to believe there could be great promise and innovation from Nikko. His first full length release on Warp Records, however, lacks the affecting melodies that permeated this previous work. Instead, it seems that warmth and emotion has been muted, to a certain extent, and emphasis has been placed more on the technical aspects of the beats and effects that go on within the music. Somewhere in between the thought and production, the feeling has been lost. This is not to say that some of the tracks on Claro do not contain melodies that contain beauty, but in relation to his earlier work, they pale in comparison.
The first track of the record, “In,” starts off reminiscent of Aphex Twin’s “On.” Instead of a piano, however, this instrument appears to be an electronic flute. The track builds up, much like “On,” adding instrumentation and finally a beat. The track never builds up to the same sort of climax as its predecessor, but this is why it is one of my favorite tracks on Claro, because it only borrows so much from older ideas. With the next song, however, the drum comes in and I’m immediately reminded of Autechre from their Tri Repetae days; the sped-up drum pattern in the middle of the track only confirms my suspicion as to who they are drawing from on this track, as it plods merrily along. It is a solid effort, but only leaves me wanting to go back to listening to the original tracks that I hear contained within the version Brothomstates has produced.
A Warp Records press release for this album states that “Claro is as solid a debut as you will encounter this year, plain and simple.” I would agree with this statement. But it’s about as truthful as Ichiro Suzuki winning the Rookie of the Year Award for Baseball in America after playing in the Japan for many years. It’s not as though Nikko has appeared out of nowhere, his work has been available before the Warp release, if you really wanted to hear it. Brothomstates will prove to be a stunning artist, however, if he can continue to build on his influences that he so obviously draws from, and works to synthesize them into something greater than their parts, which he does adequately on Claro.
- Todd Burns, 01.09.03
UNPOP
Rank: 4 OUT OF 5
When Warp sent me a little "care package" of CD’s I was overjoyed, mostly because Warp is by far my favorite label, but also because I'd not previously been exposed to a few of the artists whose discs I received. Brothomstates' Claro was sent in a white cardboard sleeve, with the following boldly emblazoned on the front:
"One of the newest additions to the Warp family, Brothomstates has arrived fully formed after only one EP and a series of compilation tracks on European labels even more obscure than we. Hailing from Finland, Brothomstates is one Lassi Nikko and his debut album, Claro, is a startling opening salvo, confidently weaving airy atmospherics with frittering sequencing. Straddling the territories of Boards of Canada's melodicism and Autechre's rhythm experimentation, Claro is as solid a debut as you will encounter this year, plain and simple."
That set pretty high expectations in my mind, as a self-labeled Boards of Canadaphile and Autechrite. I took it with a grain of salt, though, knowing that it was kind of the job of the label to pump up new acts. That said, this is a great fucking album. Bizarre track titles are nothing new to the world of IDM. So when I saw unpronounceable sequences of letters, random eight digit numbers, and other nonsense words, I wasn't too surprised. The weirdest thing, though, is that once you listen to the songs, it's almost as though the titles makes sense. Not too big a feat for vocal tracks, but pretty bad-ass for an instrumental named "Te Noch Rp".
More than a few times, I felt that the melodicism I was listening to was less Boards of Canada, and more Nintendo circa 1991. There is a distinct playfulness to the vibraphone-like notes that permeate every song. But like Boards of Canada, there's the sense that something not quite good is lurking beneath this innocence. I've yet to be able to figure out what it is about both Boards and Brothomstates that makes me feel that way, but to be sure, it's a sentiment I've heard echoed from many people before in conversations about Boards of Canada.
As far as the Autechre comparison is concerned, it too is not quite dead on. The rhythmic stylings displayed here resemble none but the most accessible Autechre, but that's definitely a good thing, based on where the songs wind up going after the requisite electronica buildup. My favorite track on the album has to be "MDRMX". Beginning with a rhythmic click like something off Autechre's Chiastic slide, the simple playfulness of the melody almost negates the minimally evil way the track begins.
After hearing this, I have to get my hands on the EP that Warp is offering alongside this one. I think it's called Qtio. Maybe that'll make sense after I hear it.
- Arun Subramanian, ??.??.??.
QTIO
DROWNED IN SOUND
Rating: 4 out of 5
A debut release from a brand new Warp artist is always a greatly anticipated thing. Brothomstates is the name under which Finland’s Lassi Nikko produces the sort of mashed-up electronica which will sit nicely in the stable alongside the new Squarepusher and Autechre LPs and the forthcoming Aphex Twin material. These six tracks offer enough quality to suggest that the name of Brothomstates may very soon be spoken of in the same terms as the label’s more established talents.
Compositions such as ‘Jak Got Stuck In Canada’ and ‘Loose Fit’ are razor-sharp sonic mini-epics, the sound of pure electricity being fed through machines, fighting its way out of the speakers and into your brain. Listened too loud enough, the EP’s stand-out track, ‘Vleade’, has the ability to melt ears in the way that all good techno should, wearing its listener down by scrubbing away like a piece of sandpaper.
‘Adozenaday’ is a slightly more soothing, almost melodic collection of synthetic notes - a sort of Warp(ed) nursery rhyme if you will – which earmarks Brothomstates forthcoming album as one to watch out for. Highly recommended.
- Jonathan Rawcliffe, ??.??.??
P.S. HERE IS THE UNOFFICIAL BROTHOMSTATES DISCOGRAPHY