CD, self-released, 2007
www.igorrr-music.com
Incongruities abound and weirdness lurks behind every other bar on Igorrr’s “Poison Soluble.” Accordion and harpsichord arrangements vie for supremacy in a bizarre, ever-shifting, organic amalgam of sonic sculpture wherein hard rock guitars and soft porn saxophone solos are the least unexpected of the surprises in store. Abstract, often nonsensical drum lines lend a typically IDM flavour to the record, which otherwise borders uncomfortably close to neo-folk melodic stylings. As a listener, you’re never quite sure if you’re experiencing Edith Piaf on an aged relative’s gramophone, black metal from the depths of the mosh pit, a light afternoon operetta, or a drum machine committing electronic suicide.
But that seems to be the method in Igorrr’s madness – keep ’em guessing. It’s nerve-wracking, but totally amusing. Nothing is sacred on “Poison Soluble,” from a musical standpoint, where even Bach’s B-movie favourite, the unmistakable “Toccata Fugue” (on “Pizza Aux Nerines”) becomes a target for unmentionable ignominies. It’s a rollicking rollercoaster of a record that can’t be taken seriously from an emotive point of view, but offers something entirely unique (a commodity lacking from much modern composition) and unlikely to ever be repeated.
That said, the final cut, “Sorbet Aux Ongles,” presents one with a subtler side to Igorrr’s eclectic and cluttered, layered approach, deftly laid out in the form of a soft, repeating string melody that brings the album to a quiet, relaxing close.
Individually examined, “Poison Soluble” makes absolutely no sense, but it’s as a holistic entity that its genius shines through. A refreshing, thoroughly entertaining album the likes of which I’ve never had the pleasure of hearing before.
[8/10]
— David vander Merwe