CD Reviews

Ilkae

Bring Extra Dragons | Merck

By MATTHEW GASTEIER | January 29, 2007

3.0 Stars

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to star in your own personal Mega Man video game for the original ’80s Nintendo system, Ilkae are here for you. A misfit duo who tweak IDM conventions just enough that they don’t really belong to any genre, Ilkae are electronic producers working a kaleidoscopic world (or maybe level) with warbly tech lines and robot punches. “Equate with Oxen” takes a quick drum machine and static-filled electronic tones you might find in more serious cutting-edge glitch and sticks a fun-loving synth over them, turning the whole thing into an epic eight-bit symphony. The tracks can descend into pure chaos, like the initial explosion of “Exit Theme and Victory March,” or coalesce into controlled beats, like the glitch-hop “Cinnamon Dragon Blues.” But as you fly on spaceships, travel in an underwater submarine, and cross deserts in pursuit of the kidnapped princess/scientist/nephew, it all takes on a unified purpose, like some off-kilter digital challenge that bursts with new-found visions and styles.

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