REVIEW: Kippumjo - Karánsebes

Electronic composer Kippumjo does not come off as one to try new sounds. His second single made using TuxGuitar, titled Karánsebes, recycles many of the same instrument settings as his first, but the second time around its much less charming.

Kippumjo is clearly a person with a great ear for melody, the song bounces careless around varying harmonics and rhythms but never settles on one that is particularly interesting. The most prominent melody - one lead by an arpeggiated scale - also happens to be the most grating. Its repetitive, loud, and overly simplified.

And from there the song sounds much like a rehash of the Jolly Jaunt single, which while enjoyable, had its many faults. This song does little to fix those faults and in being so similar to that original single, reveals a number of others.

The most apparent is the lack of genuine dynamic, with a BPM most likely set in the 180 range, phrases go by quickly. And a lot. In addition, the short track is so packed full of sounds, instruments, harmonies that pieces might as well sound thrown in at random, accidentally generating polyrhythmia and not in the accidental genius way.

Karánsebes, to me, is a major step down for Kippumjo, it drives home a musical motif that was never very engaging in the first place - and in doing so feels better off having been left in the studio, or, in this case, the app.

4/10