''Whole Numbers Play the Basics'' is an album by Erik Kowalski under the alias of
Casino Versus Japan. It was released in 2002 by
Carpark Records
Carpark Records is an independent record label based in Washington, D.C.
History
Carpark Records was established by Todd Hyman in 1999 in New York City. In 2005, the label relocated to Washington, D.C.
Carpark has subsidiary labels. Acute Re ...
. On its release, the album was praised by
AllMusic, the
BBC and ''
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'' while being panned by
Pitchfork.
Style
AllMusic and
Pitchfork Media likened the sound of the album to
Tomita is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Aijiro Tomita (1885–1954), Japanese politician
*Hiroyuki Tomita (born 1980), Japanese gymnast
*Isao Tomita (1932–2016), Japanese electronic music composer
*Kazuo Tomita (born 19 ...
, an electronic musician from the 1970s.
and contemporary artists such as
Boards of Canada
Boards of Canada are a Scottish electronic music duo consisting of brothers Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin, formed initially as a group in 1986 before becoming a duo in the 1990s.Hoffmann, Heiko.Pitchfork: Interviews: Boards of Canada (Septemb ...
.
In relation to Boards of Canada, AllMusic stated that the album contains "a similar emphasis on stately breakbeats, a track listing that alternates short vignettes with longer pieces, and a series of light, airy melodies that frequently sound as though warped by long periods spent trapped in nearly forgotten synthesizers."
Release
''Whole Numbers Play the Basics'' was released by
Carpark Records
Carpark Records is an independent record label based in Washington, D.C.
History
Carpark Records was established by Todd Hyman in 1999 in New York City. In 2005, the label relocated to Washington, D.C.
Carpark has subsidiary labels. Acute Re ...
on September 17, 2002 in the United States.
The album was released on
compact disc,
vinyl record, and as a
digital download.
Reception
AllMusic awarded the album four and a half stars out of five, calling it a better album than his previous work titled ''Go Hawaii'' as it was "less precious" and that "nearly every one of the first eight songs is as delicious as anything produced by the indie-electronic pop movement of the past five years".
The
BBC praised the album, referring to it as "a welcome alternative to microscopic sonic manipulation and squeaky clean digital noises". The review concluded that "What stops it became mere
flotation tank
An isolation tank, sensory deprivation tank, float tank, float pod, float cabin, flotation tank, or sensory attenuation tank is a water filled, pitch-black, light-proof, soundproof environment heated to the same temperature as the skin, developed ...
fodder is the sense of unease that sometimes lurks beneath its sublime drift" and "Utterly gorgeous".
''
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'' awarded the album a four out of five, opining that it "takes us back to the good old days when electronica wasn’t afraid to be beautiful" and "Probably the most wistful music you’ll hear this year".
gave the album a negative review, with a score of 3.3 out of 10, finding the outerspace themes too large of a cliche for electronic music and that the album's song sounded far too similar and derivative of other artists such as
Tomita is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Aijiro Tomita (1885–1954), Japanese politician
*Hiroyuki Tomita (born 1980), Japanese gymnast
*Isao Tomita (1932–2016), Japanese electronic music composer
*Kazuo Tomita (born 19 ...
and
Aphex Twin
Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic music, electronic styles such as techno, ambient music, ambient, and jun ...
.
Track listing
Track listing from
AllMusic.
# "Single Variation Of Two" – 3:45
# "Moonlupe" – 1:26
# "Aquarium" – 4:59
# "The Possible Light" – 1:12
# "Summer Clip" – 5:45
# "Koma Sign-Off" – 0:20
# "Em Essey" – 4:12
# "Tryptiline Fabricate" – 1:12
# "Where To? / What For?" – 5:38
# "You Were There" – 1:34
# "Making Lake Park In The Sun" – 3:51
# "Manic Thru Tone" – 4:31
# "Trad Velecido" – 1:10
# "Slo Bid Bellwave" – 5:35
See also
*
2002 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.
Specific locations
* 2002 in British music
* 2002 in Norwegian music
* 2002 in South Korean music
Specific genres
* 2002 in classical music
* 2002 in country musi ...
Notes
{{Authority control
2002 albums
Casino Versus Japan albums
Carpark Records albums