May 02, 2008 CD Review: Imperfect i's Groopoloops By Tyler Corelitz, Nascentmag.com Imperfect i is a project by Oakland-based singer/songwriter Gery Tinkelenberg. His new CD, titled Groopoloops, is a collection of songs performed spontaneously and based around guitar looping, with some sparse atmospheric percussion mixed in. The guitar playing is good, if not a little "new age," and the recording quality is excellent. In fact, all of the production on the CD comes across very well. The album's ten songs are more or less Gery jamming with himself over loops, and as free, improvised songs they actually work quite well. With no set structure, however, their length lends them to being more of an ambient soundtrack to a nice long drive in a big expensive car then out and out songs. The opening lines are usually lost in a wash of layers lapping up against one another, stirring the musical pot. (more >>) The album is best when it breaks from its acoustic guitar roots and introduces darker, distorted, almost noisy sounds over the top in a manner that is very Frisselian. Considering that Oakland is home to much of the Bay Area's noise scene, these more aggressive elements make perfect sense, and would be a welcome point of expansion in Imperfect i's future. Much like the East Bay, which manages to balance the SUV yuppie moms and college fraternities of Berkeley with urban sprawl and often shocking poverty in the Oakland flatlands, Groopoloops is half contained and peaceful, half struggling and on the point of outburst. Considering the first half of this equation, it is strange to note that Imperfect i's bio makes note of Tinkelenberg's inability to settle down, as much of this music seems to be the perfect tantric love song to woo unsuspecting yuppie moms out of their yoga outfits and into whatever. May 02, 2008 CD Review: Imperfect i's Groopoloops By Tyler Corelitz Imperfect i is a project by Oakland-based singer/songwriter Gery Tinkelenberg. His new CD, titled Groopoloops, is a collection of songs performed spontaneously and based around guitar looping, with some sparse atmospheric percussion mixed in. The guitar playing is good, if not a little "new age," and the recording quality is excellent. In fact, all of the production on the CD comes across very well. The album's ten songs are more or less Gery jamming with himself over loops, and as free, improvised songs they actually work quite well. With no set structure, however, their length lends them to being more of an ambient soundtrack to a nice long drive in a big expensive car then out and out songs. The opening lines are usually lost in a wash of layers lapping up against one another, stirring the musical pot. (more >>) The album is best when it breaks from its acoustic guitar roots and introduces darker, distorted, almost noisy sounds over the top in a manner that is very Frisselian. Considering that Oakland is home to much of the Bay Area's noise scene, these more aggressive elements make perfect sense, and would be a welcome point of expansion in Imperfect i's future. Much like the East Bay, which manages to balance the SUV yuppie moms and college fraternities of Berkeley with urban sprawl and often shocking poverty in the Oakland flatlands, Groopoloops is half contained and peaceful, half struggling and on the point of outburst. Considering the first half of this equation, it is strange to note that Imperfect i's bio makes note of Tinkelenberg's inability to settle down, as much of this music seems to be the perfect tantric love song to woo unsuspecting yuppie moms out of their yoga outfits and into whatever.

Using only his acoustic guitar and effects, the Oakland, California songwriter/guitarist/singer, Imperfect I, has created an instrumental CD entitled Groopoloops (2006). This is a collection of ten tracks, all of which are "spontaneous improvisations …….literally played and recorded on the spot." If one is guided by the inventive song titles, that influence will color the listening experience, and imagination will follow in turn. For example, "Bells On A Breezy Hill," and "Nice Song" are self-explanatory, with gentle, light, and relaxing accents, that make for a soothing sound. Likewise, "Yes, I'm Falling For You," plays like a country love song, tentative and quiet, and "Are You A Butterfly, Yet?" leads the listener on a transformational journey. On the other side, "No Bone For You," "The Bell Tolls For You," and "Man, This Crabgrass Is Everywhere," have a darker, deeper, more somber feel. Also included in this offering from Imperfect I, was a 2007 demo single called, "In This Way," which boasts a complex blend of rhythm and sound effects - a recipe of many flavors. This ambient collection rates: *** A Great Effort! All individual tracks are available at www.myspace.com/imperfecti. See the artist's other work at www.gtink.com. - Lily Emeralde and Emma Dyllan Phosphorescence Magazine

Soft, melodic Ambient, exclusively achieved by means of acoustic guitar and a treatment of sound with electronic filters that provide it with a greater width yet without distorting the essence of its sound, this proposal is truly original, and the result attracts the attention of the audience from its very start. The atmospheres are soft, wealthy in layers of sound, as if it were an orchestra of guitars, and the textures offer us the freshness and spontaneity so characteristic of the acoustic guitar. -Pascual Jurado, Amazing Sounds Webzine