It starts slowly, but only for a brief moment. Then an expanse of rhythm and sound fills my ears almost instantly as sweet folk-infused banjo is married to beats of a somewhat hectic, 500 bpm electronic style. And it keeps going.

Sitting back, listening to this album puts me in an instant reflective mode. I don’t know if this is because the album embodies elements of all of my favorite bands, or if it is just a well crafted album, but I have a flood of thoughts enter my head pertaining to my summer in Jackson Hole, WY.

I lived out of my car and spent my days rock climbing and hiking, while my evenings were spent at reservations for river trips. Not to dwell on a personal story too long, I will get to the point: Jackson is home to some of the wealthiest people in the country -- the least of which is Harrison Ford, who enjoys the ranch lifestyle in the suburbs (rumor has it that Trent Reznor went to see a movie at the local theater. Ahhhh) -- but also some of the poorest as well. When you move out of the main strip where the cowboy bars and the kitsch shops dwell, you'll see an amazing array of immigrant labor. Five construction workers living in a two bedroom apartment, women who work as maids and have five children that they try to introduce into wealthy schools, and so on and so forth. The polarity is stunning.

Sombunall must spark this same polarity within me with a great polarity of styles and emotions. If there was only one side of this album, it would have been incredibly boring, but there isn’t, and the juxtaposition of the mayhem laden beats and the sweet melodies creates a diversely melodic, rhythmic neighborhood. Taking a walk through this neighborhood, I see the wealthy and poor inhabitants -- not in terms of musical quality, but rather of stylistic variety and demands on listeners' attention. I am not sure what is the poor and what is the wealthy, it is not exactly related to the words, but the diversity is what is of interest. Crossover between the two styles is evident when a female voice begins singing but is then chopped up, twisted, and put through as a new instrument. “Poligraph Polygraphikov” gives a great example of a pop sensible song that is pummeled with interest by having the diverse beats and instrumentation turn a plain song into a robust composition.

From beginning to end, the album is very cohesive. All of the songs sound as though they belong together. They all have their unique sound and specialty, but when placed together, they flow together very well and create a continuous river of sound. And yes, for all you IDM kids out there, Beneva Vs. Clark Nova does indeed have some nostalgic quality to it, but with a revamped, modern presentation. 

-Greg Norte