Having completed his third album proper, David Edwards decided to don his accountant's hat to calculate what he sees as a fair charging method for his labours as Minotaur Shock. He is cognisant of the fact that the math-rock electronica enthusisasts who make up the bulk of his fan base are also techno-savvy enough to know how and where to download it for free.
Not yet being in a position to give up his day job, Edwards has opted for a suggested retail price for each of the eleven tracks in the hope that listeners will decide to do the right thing and become guilt-free consumers to help support his "little family and big mortgage". In this way he can ensure he has the resources to continue making music.
The average cost of the tracks is a modest 58p with prices ranging from 33p to 77p. The prices are based on such criteria as "technical difficulty", "fun/replay rating" and "computer crash rating".
On his website, he provides a lively track by track breakdown of the tunes characteristics together with a guide to the pricing. For example, for the final, and most expensive track, 'Beekeeper' he explains: "The very end is the other key moment to the entire album. Hence the high price".
Edwards own description of his music is hard to beat: "I'd describe Amateur Dramatics as school band meets Italo meets chamber music rubbing up on electro with a slice of acid, a sprinkling of minimalism and a short attention span. It's got saxophones, violins, clarinets and the insides of my grandma's mini-piano on it".
This effectively covers all the bases and illustrates the progress Edwards has made since the gentle folktronica of his 2001 release 'Chiff-Chaffs and Willow Warblers". The cover of 'Amateur Dramatics' shows that he retains an ornithological intrerest but in terms of content, the range of his sound palate has broadened considerably from this debut.
The opening track - Zookeeper - has the chamber music elements with strong shades of Michael Nyman and leads smoothly into Am Dram before morphing into a more complex mix. Edwards says of this: "I took ages trying to find the right notes and I want you to appreciate that effort. The fact that it sounds slightly wrong is totally intentional".
'This Plane is going to fall' is an album highpoint and a steal at 66p! An elegantly captivating groove begins with handclaps and features lilting vocals of Anna-Lynne Williams. It is followed by 'Accelerated footage' which ,as the title suggests, is a chance of pace with playful, dance orientated minimalist rhythms. This sets the tone for Jason Forrest, a mesmerising blend sax-driven free-jazz and techno which is remiscent of Kieren Hebden's finest work.
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After this high energy, there's a short chill-out track Two Magpies , a belated companion piece to the Four Magpies track which ended his previous album Maritime. It is furthur proof of his bird interest as well as being the album's cheapest track.
'My Burr' then returns us to the elegance of chamber music - the fine violin playing on this and other tracks is by James Underwood of the Iskra String Quarter.
'BATS' is the most purely electro tune on the album, being full of disorientating counterpoint and chopped up samples. This is lively enough but jars a little in relation to the flowing groove of the preceding track and seems out of place in the album as a whole.
As if conscious of the need to return to simpler motifs, 'Snapdragon' begins with simple piano and violin notes and aside from a few buzzy electronic backing doesn't vary too much.
The penultimate track is 'Buzzards' which would make for a perfect leisurely drivetime soundtrack with its insistent drum beats and jazzy motorik mood. This leaves us with the stylish slow-quick groove finale of Zookeeper.
Listening to albums from beginning to end is another victim of the the download era but if you take the trouble to buck the trend with this album it really pays dividends since it is beautifully sequenced to give a a balanced, coherent structure.
If you're strapped for cash I'd recommend a 1.10 outlay by sampling 'This plane is going to fall? and 'Jason Forrest'.
The skillful mix of human and digital help make this Minotaur Shock's best work to date and a investment I'd strongly recommend making.
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