What follows is a fictional conversation between British beat-aficionado MINT and screen actor Keanu Reeves. Were the two to meet in a crowded bar, this is the conversation that might ensue:

MINT grabs a pint from an undisclosed pub in his hometown of Hackney, London. After standing to survey the pub for chums he spots megastar Keanu Reaves of Point Break and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure fame in a corner booth, staring thoughtfully into space. Star struck, he joins Reeves and strikes up a conversation.

MINT: Oh, good on’ya, mate, name’s Murray Fisher. I’m a local electronic musician, and co-owner of Boltfish Recordings. I’m out celebrating; you see my new album drops on April 30th.

Keanu: Go on.

MINT: It’s called Cardboard Rocketships, it’s my eighth full-length LP. I’m real excited about it, it’s a mix of the electronic styles I’ve been working on since 2004. Could I pass you a copy, mate?

Keanu: Raises eyebrow, pulls pack of “Swisher Sweets” from inner coat pocket. Yes.

MINT: Aw, that’s top notch. I think you’ll enjoy it, it’s a mix of electronic genres that would sound great listening while in the auto or when you’ve got sumfin else in your ‘ead.

Keanu: Tamps a Swisher on the table before lighting (dramatically). I see.

MINT: A lot of it is a bit like bubblegum techno. Kind of danceable Octopus Project stuff, ya see. I like to play around with a mix of glitch pop style sounds with a sort of pleasant melodic background to it.

Keanu: Pulls heavily on the Swisher. I’m intrigued, please go on.

MINT: There’s a few songs I’m really goin’ ta have to point out. I’m quite fond of “Keiji’s Dream”, ya see; it sounds like a traditional Japanese garden melody but with a sort of trip-hop dance beat set to it. I think it channels the country’s old culture while adding a new spin, the stuff kids now can bounce around ta.

Keanu: Japanese garden melody….

MINT: Oh yeah. And I’ve got a great tune on there, a remix actually. Ulrich Schnauss, you ‘eard of ‘im?

Keanu: Raises other eyebrow, dramatically. No.

MINT: Yeah, well he’s a fantastic sort of electronic composer, I remixed his song “Shine”; it’s one of the more ambient and drifting tunes on the LP. I’ve added my own touch to it, kind of made it cutesy without losing its beautiful wandering sort of essence.

Keanu: Slowly raises a finger skyward, indicating another round. That sounds…

MINT: Interesting, yeah? I’ve tried quite hard, actually, to really mix it up as far as influences and that. I’m actually a bit worried that some out there might be a tad put off by how many directions I go on the album.

Keanu: You sound conflicted, tell me about that.

MINT: Well there are a couple of tracks that, I think they’re still quite good, but they just don’t sound much like the rest of my stuff. If you pop that disc in the player and listen to track five, it’s called “Personal Spaces”, right? And it’s this kind of downtrodden spin on an Air track, maybe sumfin like off 10,000 Hz Legend. Doesn’t quite fit in. And another one that people really seem to take a shine to I called “System Cost” - it’s a dreary industrial sort of vibe that really strikes people, but I can’t say it totally belongs on the album.

Keanu: Spins the album between fingers, dramatically. I sense that there are… less desirable tracks.

MINT: Yeah, but put that on some time. I think it’s pretty complex and I might’ve gotten a bit overzealous when throwing some of the tracks on there, but it’s alright. It’s a bit hard to decide when to put the album on. Like you might hear some dark techno pop on “Aquarius” and then it’s on shuffle and lands on “Tricycle Days”, that ones a really fun found-sounds kind of kiddie electronica deal. I think it’d be perfect for you, actually, you seem like a pretty emotionally sophisticated type of bloke.

Keanu: Yes.

The above exchange may well never take place, but the sentiments hold true for this release. The majority of the album Cardboard Rocketships is a cute-as-a-button electronica album that may or may not merit further listens depending on the person. The strangest aspect of the LP is that it is distinctly split into two genres of electronica, which can both impress and confuse based on context; one half is the aforementioned bubblegum beatnik style while the other is a foreboding industrial style. Several listens give the impression that MINT could have struck more gold by releasing two contrasting EPs, such is the difference in his style throughout the album. Both of those EPs would have been very powerful, warm and at home in their respective contexts. This isn’t to say that variation isn’t a strong aspect to any tracklisting, only that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde can never appear in one place at the same time.

-Brendan Kraft