Compost Records is a label usually known for quality artists and interesting Euro "Nu-jazz" releases. Koop, Jazzanova, Truby Trio, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Fauna Flash, Beanfield, etc. all have been part of Compost’s staple of artists. Marbert Rocel’s SPEED EMOTIONS could be categorized in the post trip-hop lounge vein with a hint of jazz, easily fitting in the Compost genre. Unfortunately, there are aspects about the album that make it sound like a demo than a polished product. There are other aspects that make it avant enough to overlook some of the flaws. The band (from Germany, not France as you might surmise by the name) consists of Marcel Aue (producing, DJing and mixing), Robert Krause (producing, DJing and artwork) and Antje Seifarth (Vocals). On this album, it is female vocalist Seifarth that really shines- a cross between Dani Siciliano and Former Morcheeba singer Skye Edwards with a dash of low key Beth Gibbons. The recording is being touted as Compost’s "next big thing". I ?m not completely sold on that.

So exactly what are my issues with SPEED EMOTION? Well, the major problem is the mix is WAY too bottom-heavy. I had to totally re-EQ my system for this disc, and that is something I rarely every have to do. The overkill on the lower frequencies turned the mix to mush in some parts. Not good. Antje’s voice still manages to cut through, as languorous as it is, which for this type of laid-back project works well.

First track, "Seven Stars" builds up a rhythm groove with echoey sonic elements over a few organ chords for over a minute and a half before the vocal melody comes in. Okay, I can go with that, but after one verse, it winds down again with some superfluous glitchy electronics and then spends another minute building up the beat again! There’s a bit more vocal oomph on the second verse with Antje’s voice doubled in harmony, and then it spends the last half a minute dying down again. Hmmmm... there’s a construction error here – nothing to grab on to. It plays like a remix, and not a great way to open an album, in my opinion.

After the opener it’s a mixed bag of experimental hits and misses. Arrangements are peppered with a lot of aural tidbits here and there, some of which work very nicely, and others that seem superfluous.

"Cornflake Boy" (no relation to the Tori Amos "Cornflake Girl") is a bit of a simple uptempo stomper with a decent enough vocal hook and jazz guitar rhythm accents, but it still sounds like a demo, especially with such an abrupt end. The jazzier "Eleanor Birdbath" has a funkier guitar, padded with electric piano over a solid rhythm. I don’t know if these guys are strictly loopists, but the guitar work here (and elsewhere as well) is rather nice. Strictly instrumental. Not a standout, but passably pleasing. Another instrumental, "Purple Bass", is probably the heaviest thing on the album, kind of dark and different mood for the band. On further tracks, I appreciated some of the synth treatments, retro as they were, as they varied the tone and temperament of the music. Often the arrangements seem minimal, but there is usually something going on in the background. A minus is that some on the tracks seem to carry on a little too long without going anywhere.

As a whole, SPEED EMOTIONS is a puzzler, flirting with commercial melodies, and then veering off into left field arrangements. The overall mood just doesn’t gel consistently. ("Red Shoes" is just too sappily happy for my tastes.) I can easily see some tracks from this album played in cafes across Europe, or on chill and nu-jazz radio. If anything, I’d buy the CD just for Antje’s vocals, and you might find yourself warming to some of the shifting, and in some cases, shifty tonalities and abrupt endings more than I did. (The band has a MySpace site if you want a preview). I probably would have rated it higher if had been better produced. Not as dark a musical offering as most readers of Chain D.L.K. are used to, but it does have its moody moments. If they stay together long enough for a second, there is potential for magic.