The word "glitch" evokes crackling static, neon stripes or black and white dots, perhaps a "no signal" or "please stand by'' sign – an altogether disagreeable and frustrating occurrence. But what if the idea of "glitch" were redefined, moulded into an artistic philosophy that yields some of the most unique musical sound of recent years? This isn't just a hypothetical; music duo lil replica have done just that in their debut, Redux & Respair.
Released on June 7th, the album is unconventional, to say the least. It's composed entirely of self-made audio and sounds that range from jazz and choral chants to mainstream music, with occasional inspiration extracted from film editing containing some field recordings. Redux & Respair contains various tonal shifts as the artists jump from clip to clip; it seems like one piece is actually three or four mini-songs. However, Redux & Respair is far from disjointed: repeating loops of piano and IDM-style beats create a sonic rope that ties each track together.
Although musical invention is at the centre of this album, the duo manages to keep their work grounded in reality. The songs are thought-provoking without being overly cerebral; they're still enjoyable to listen to. The artists say that "'glitch' isn't used to distort away from reality", and indeed, the organic sounds do lend a sense of life and humanity rather than cold experimentation. It's as if the range of sounds from everyday life has been turned into a musical extravaganza. Listening to Redux & Respair makes us feel like we have a VIP ticket to lil replica's inner world: wacky, certainly, but never cynical or clinical.