When Rectangles Roll Under Cities

When Rectangles Roll Under Cities is Anderegg's first full-length CD, although at a little under 37 minutes it makes a short one. Better short than boring. The artist presents two works. From the first seconds of "The Second Precedes the First" (14 minutes), you're in experimental electronica territory, bordering sound art — grounds shared by Fennesz, CoH, Carsten Nicolai, and the like. This first piece is dreamier, moodier than the rest of the album. It evokes the works of Hazard, even Biosphere when a ghostly melody emerges from the sonic magma of digital noise and treated field recordings (or are they?) — very absorbing. "When Rectangles Roll Under Cities" (23 minutes) is more abstract. Sound events are shorter, glitchier, their organization more abrupt and chaotic. In some parts (like the fourth), Anderegg almost crosses over to musique concrète. Backward sounds, digital glitch, and the sound of a bowl being struck come together to create a surprising moment, the best in this longer work. The piece would have gained to be more concise. This first album depicts a capable artist, someone who masters his tools and possesses creativity. The problem is it needs a stronger personality; the music is too identifiable with what by the end of 2001 was becoming a trend. Still promising. ~ François Couture, Rovi