Juxtaposition

by David SerraVienna's Radian continue with layers of electronics and instrumentation on their third release, Juxtaposition, out on Thrill Jockey Records. Radian recorded all of the electronic tracks in Vienna before bringing their set-up to Chicago to finish various tracking with the aid of John McEntire at Soma Studios, an influence at the deck that shines through on Juxtaposition. Delicate grooves reveal themselves on tracks like "Vertigo" and "Helix," stretching waves of bass tones, percussion and electronics that build on one another. Scratchy stretches of noise layered on top of the focused instrumentation of bass, guitar and drums create subtle melodies that lie underneath tracks like "Transistor" and "Tester." The influence of Tortoise is not to go unnoted here, but an influence that many may have been forgotten with Tortoise's debut -- longer, atmospheric tracks of tinny percussion on top of slow, drawn-out basslines and sprinkles of vibraphone that are definite highlights on Radian tracks "Ontario" and "Nord." Radian created a record that listeners have to let envelope them slowly -- and, if patient enough, Juxtaposition will reveal treasures from an aural dig that are a wonderful, satisfying surprise.