Cagesan
I love machine
Beaubrun

A few days before 2006 ebbed I received this French disc with Cagesan's debut. Cagesan is a bird, a Bicheno owl finch - which is a small Australian (or, Tasmanian) bird. I love machine is a fantastic voyage up in the trees, with 15 songs (or sound sketches) presented in collaboration with 15 different musicians: British eccentric Momus, David Balula (France), Cubist Literature (USA), Montag (Canada), O.lamm (France), Olga (Argentina), Felix Kubin (Germany), MC Cat Genius (USA), James Harvey (UK), Digiki (France, based in Japan), to name some of them. A world wide spectre of electronica/hip-hop/futuristic pop magicians and wizards. Enjoy an analogue-goes-digital bird remixed!

I love machine is for sure a playful and experimental platter, with careful layers of rhythms and sounds built around the tweets and whistles of Cagesan (whose singing drew the attention of 2 producers in the Paris bird market: the illustrator Florence Manlik and the musician and poet Toog - according to Beau Brun). It somehow/sometimes make me think of Japanese artist Cornelius, except Cagesan takes the songs some steps further. Not as pop as Cornelius can be. To underline the creative, free-floating imagination every song is named after Cagesan's fashion collection wardrobe - for birds! It's not hard to find some favourite creations: DJ Chienloup's "Blouse société secrète" is smart and colourful, with a touch of dance (tango) elegance. Olga's "Cape San de lumière" is beams of light twisting and swirling. Montag's "Chandail maille" is a very pleasing, gliding piece of (imagine) birds in flight, suddenly speeding up into tough motion. Momus' cut-up minimalism technique with "Costume de lapin" is intriguing, but also quite challenging. MC Cat Genius' "Manteau de ville" is a wild stroke of - if not genius, then pretty close to it - good fun entertainment, with its crazee, rocked-up guitar stomp. Like Brother Danielson on helium, with Snakefinger filling in with his guitar. Digiki's track "Manteau chic" is digits going crazy, and Cubist Literature's "Parure royale" is almost brutal with its simplistic naivety. It's maybe wise to portion this CD, not to take all in one listen. On the other hand, tracks like Toog's "Habit de plage" and O.lamm's "Écharpe et bonnet" is of a milder, more gentle nature. Presenting more relaxing moods, keeping the journey both pleasant and disturbing. And when Reznicek's "Petite robe de printemps" closes the album, chanting "free as a bird" Cagesan must be happy. I love machine is lo-fi minimalism and modernism sampled live from an open bird cage. Birdwalk is the new catwalk!

This CD brought a thrilling exit out of the old year, and it's a splendid way to start the new one. I love I love machine!

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Copyright © 2007 Håvard Oppøyen