Decomposure: At Home and Unaffected
Rating: 
Decomposure’s 2004 debut Taking Things Apart was a fresh take on the IDM genre, an entire electronica album devoid of synthesizers and filled with common sounds, highlighted by “Matches (Extended Mix),” a track composed exclusively of sounds made by matches. On At Home and Unaffected, Caleb Mueller (the man behind Decomposure) expands on the ideas (and ideals) of his debut. There are still the novel, clever sound collage IDM pieces like “Bathroom/Guitar/Piano,” but this go-round Mueller decided to take a crack at writing and singing lyrics for some of the songs. Surprisingly, to me at least, the more pop-oriented vocal tracks work well both within the context of the album and independently. “Whose Side Are You On?” has the potential to become one of those tracks that fans of both electronic, pop, and rock music all enjoy, with Mueller’s catchy melody soaring over his usual brilliantly sequenced cut up guitar and noises from his apartment (the place where virtually all of the sounds here were created). The tracks without lyrics aren’t lacking in inspiration, either, which is no surprise given the aptitude Decomposure has shown previously. “Beatbox” could put any real beatboxer to shame, while “At Home Part Two” proves he hasn’t lost his knack for turning conventionally unexciting sounds into fascinating drum ‘n’ bass exercises. This is a downright great album that should have some appeal for almost anyone. [Bonus: the liner notes are also very interesting (and long), as they were on Taking Things Apart.]
Buy album– Kevin