This band is proven impossible to hate.

This band is proven impossible to hate.

Among the best releases of 2006, and one of the more original and refreshing CDs I've purchased on a combination sound-clip/whim, Bring Extra Dragons augments the realm of IDM with a more direct and overt melodic sensibility and a more chord-progression-centric structural development, all the while avoiding the cliches of both computer music and the pop/jazz/video game influences. The opening track, Soda Theme, sets the general tone of the CD with the layers of sawtoothed timbres and jittering clicks and clacks that recall the 8-bit, skillfully set atop an infectiously funky breakbeat, all of which will concertedly out snap, crackle, and pop any bowl of Rice Krispies. The deliberate nature and fast pace of this and other tracks contribute to the one downfall of the recording (other than the fact that this apparently will be Ilkae's last release), namely that the record is too short and leaves the listener wanting another 17 tracks, though admittedly not as much a flaw as a testiment to time flying by in the presence of fun. Other highlights include the synth-waltz of Cannebarge, the grinding vibrations of Equate the Oxen, and the teleportating glissandi of Exit Theme. Highly recommended to fans of the schizophrenia of artists like Aphex Twin or Squarepusher (or for that matter Buckethead, with the candy-necklace of contrasting interludes that are easily digested by those with shorter attention spans), or for anyone that's a sucker for a keyboard or three.

There's nothing I don't like about this album. It inspires and entertains. You get more melodies in 2 minutes here than an evening at the pops.