Record Review - 3 March 19 2003

Molr Drammaz’s densely layered, malformed melodies flourish in an electro-acoustic scrap yard filled with drones, disembodied voices and an innocently industrial demeanor. Founded by siblings Wotj3k Kucharczyk and Asia Brownislawska, the Katowice, Poland, duo’s sound evokes the principles of likeminded luminaries — from Morton Subotnik to Mouse on Mars and beyond — while avoiding the trappings of traditional electronic music.

Boazeria, the group’s second full-length and first for its own Mik.muzik.! imprint, assembles a mutating body of improvised glitch and classic experimental music compressed into short pop-song formats. Each of the 19 tracks forms a latticework of cluttered, sinister rumbling bound together by an undercurrent of naivete. A glowing horn intro in “Wald” is slowly overcome by the throbbing tension of “Niezano (Zano),” which recalls the shark’s theme music from Jaws.

Elsewhere, “Heon” and “Klapy” maintain a wide-eyed, mechanical minimalism that holds the recording together while keeping all melody at bay. Though bouncing hooks do break the surface on occasion, they represent only a few fleeting blips, starving the recording of any coherent song structure.

But the title track changes everything: Bringing the disc to a close with an overbearing fantasy-pop tone, a blinding wash of keyboards shines light into some of experimental music’s darkest corners.

Molar Drammaz plays Eyedrum Sat., March 22.