Review: TED MILTON & LOOPSPOOL Sublime (Charhizma)
Andreas Gerth normally mans the machines for the Tied + Tickled Trio. Here, he emerges as Loopspool, not only a terrific palindrome but also a first-rate purveyor of simmering layers of electronic blurb, bubble and low-key boogie. He is joined by Ted Milton, a poet-crooner who sounds a tad like an English gentleman who has seen better days, skirting Tom Waits or Jacques Brel territory, depending on the form of each particular track and his choice of language. He seems to like crows, too; mentions them at least twice. A melancholic eroticism haunts most of the tracks, especially on the strong opener, "Suck on the Night", where Gerth's juddering bed of sound is complemented by fellow T+TT member Michael Heilrath on smooth bass, on top of which Milton whispers forth a paean to vampire love. Aided by ace mixer Mario Thaler (who has previously provided T+TT and Kammerflimmer Kollektief with depth and breadth), Gerth pulls all kinds of tricks out of his electronic hat without ever stooping to dazzling showmanship. Instead, he relys on his flair for subtle intuition and as such warrants our continued undivided attention.
Stephen Fruitman, MOTION - interactive services for new music by State51, August, 2000
© 2000 Stephen Fruitman with permission