Grumpy Pieces is the latest album by Dusseldorf electronica act Harmonious Thelonius who is Stefan Schwander's long running project. The album was recorded in his hometown and is organic electronica that skipped many modern processes to leave it feeling natural.
The album opens with And You May Find Yourself anywhere but in a large automobile, in fact you are probably sitting in a chill out room somewhere, listening to these synths and simple drum patterns, with some squelchy bass for company, slowly driving further into the bridge between the chill out room and the dancefloor, can you find the effort to start moving or will you just kick back and relax.
Tzing! is minimally foreboding keyboards, with a rumpled bassline and insistent snare line, making sure you know just how they want you to feel the Tzing! Like it is the soundtrack to an East German modernist film from the late 70's.
Flip The Script (Dispair) has sci-fi synths taking us on a journey into space, dodging satellites, hoping to dock with a friendly space station, elegiacally gazing out of the spaceship portals at the never- ending vista of outer space.
Tropical + Electrical means that the storm clouds are coming in and the pitter patter of the rain coming through the keyboards with gated shuffling sounds and a sparse percussive backing, help us take refuge from the deluge.
Beacon shines brightly against the deep bassline and simple keyboard pattern that everything else is built around, this has an easy slow-paced groove to mope along too.
Made In Italy takes a spaghetti western bassline and adds some very Italian Stallion style keyboards and a super skittery snare pattern that allows the tune to slowly build like an early Italo-disco tune getting ready for the drop.
Le Belle Vacances can be found through swathes of Gauloises smoke and rising arabesques, indebted to that particular niche of Gauloise house music, added bleeps and synths curlicue around a good surround sound system, while you dance yourself into a deep trance.
The album closes by Dissolving to the sound of sci-fi laboratory test noises, from the oddest of screen tests, the instrumentation slowly fades and dissolves any urge, but to make the most minimal of dance moves, that make trump dancing to YMCA seem like a hyperactive breakdancer. The dancers body dissolves almost like it has been beamed up star trek style.
Find out more at https://shop.tapeterecords.com/harmonious-thelonious-grumpy-pieces-4495 https://harmoniousthelonious.bandcamp.com/album/grumpy-pieces
