Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #339317 in Music
• Released on: 2008-02-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .13 pounds

Album Description
pilogue in Waves is the third album from n5MD main-man Mike Cadoo's ever evolving Bitcrush moniker. The album is the soundtrack to a story which begins with a sense of hope \nbut whose undercurrents pull you to the end you feared. Epilogue in Waves marks the end of Cadoo's wading in the ocean thematic metaphor for lost time that constituted the backbone of his previous album In Distance. As his self described rock record the album eschews some of Cadoo's\nprevious electronic methodologie

Customer Reviews

Headphone Commute Review
I thoroughly enjoyed Mike Cadoo's previous album, In Distance, under his Bitcrush alias. So I waited for a perfect moment to listen to Epilogue In Waves in a serene place setting. I was especially looking forward to the album after I read somewhere that this may be Cadoo's last release (hence the "epilogue" in the title). The latter rumor is clearly incorrect, and I've got the Two and a Half Questions with Mike Cadoo, to prove that. Plus there is an upcoming re-issue of a long unavailable digital release, Shimmer and Fade, remastered and extended. Epilogue In Waves has received mixed reviews. It may be due to unintended expectations from the ever changing musical approach - Cadoo has morphed between styles for years, from his choppy IDM Gridlock project with Mike Wells, to the d'n'b infused breaks as Dryft. Or it may be due to specific expectations of evolution in sound - anything that has been done before may not be exciting to some listeners. Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly welcome the chilled out production of ambient and post-shoegaze influenced bliss. There are instantly recognizable elements from inspirations like Hammock, Lights Out Asia and This Will Destroy You. And these are the sounds that I can't get enough of. In my opinion, this effortless genre migration demonstrates true musicianship, and should receive all the recognition it truly deserves. Cadoo continues to evolve his sound, and as the owner of n5MD, his label's output, through limitless boundaries of uncaged approach. If you follow the label make sure you also pick up Loess, Last Days and Hologram.

Blend of Post-Modern Rock and Ambient Electronics
About the Band:
Bitcrush is the ambient electronics / post-modern rock band created by Mike Cadoo. I liken Bitcrush to blend of the better elements of later music released by Australia's postmodern rock band the Church (such as from the bouns disk on Hologram of Baal) and the German breakbeat / experimental band Beefcake. Cadoo was one of the principal members of San Francisco's ambient industrial band Gridlock (also highly recommended). Bitcrush is closely related to Cadoo's other sideproject, Dryft, but takes a much softer approach than either Dryft or Gridlock in creating lush and relaxing music. In addition to masterful use of electronics, Bitcrush incorporates guitars, drums, and vocals to complete albums that are perfect for listening to at home.

About the Album:
Bitcrush's/Cadoo's new "Epilogue in Waves" follows the tone and pace set for by his 2006 release "In Distance". Appropriately named since the soft electronics and relax guitars ebb and flood (rise and fall for you landlovers) together like the relaxing nature of the tides following a Pacific coast winter storm.

Prologue, the opening track, slowly pulls us into a crowd of people as a somewhat distant observer. You can hear several conversations, but clearly the focus is elsewhere. The real pace and quality of the album is then quickly set with the following track, "An Island, A Penninsula".

Mike lends his vocals to a few of the tracks, such as "Of Days" and "Epilogue to Tides", but the vox are extremely limited, leaving the focus of the songs (and album) on the ambient music instead.

Recommended Tracks:
- Tides
- A False Movement, True
- Pearl
- Epilogue to Tides

Similar Artists:
- the Church (more recent material)
- Dryft
- Forma Tadre
- Halo_Gen
- Beefcake

What's with these 'ocean' themed albums?
It's rather fitting that the ocean is a pretty deep well of inspiration to tap among musicians, speaking from personal experience as a music fan I'm more than impressed - rather surprised - how the immensity of the seas have inspired bands and artists to reach new heights (or depths, perhaps?) of music. Devin Townsend was the first artist I came across to enter the fray with his rock-opus Ocean Machine, a melodic and brilliant album that explored Townsend's angst as a young man living in Tokyo and Los Angeles. Next was Isis's Oceanic, a genre-defining (and genre-defying) album that bent metal music to capture the might and heaviness of the ocean, tempering heavy riffs with entwining melodies and smooth ambience. Several individual songs also captured the majesty and power of the ocean: Smashing Pumpkins' "Porcelina of the Oceans Blue" off of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and Pelican's March into the Sea come to mind.

So when I heard the title and theme of Bitcrush's newest album, Epilogue in Waves, I knew that I had to give it a listen. Mike Cadoo had already taken a giant leap in musical direction on his last effort, In Distance, which was a harmonious blend of Cadoo's well-established ambient synthesizer pads and glitch/IDM drum work (from Gridlock and earlier Bitcrush/Dryft albums) with an infusion of shoegaze-inspired guitar and live drums, and clean layered vocals. The result was nothing short of a musical triumph, bold and innovative and beautiful; and thus I was more than excited to hear his latest work.

And in the wake of its 'ocean'-themed predecessors, Epilogue in Waves doesn't disappoint. Cadoo continues his growth as an artist, this time around deemphasizing the glitchy drum-machine work for increased focus on live drums and guitar melodies, finding a great mix with the ambient pads and tremolo-riffing from the prior album. It should be said though, that this album isn't for the pop or mainstream-rock listener - don't expect catchy melodies that you can hum or beats you can easily tap your feet to. Epilogue in Waves is very much an album for headphones - the mix is quiet and delicate, and the music is richly textured and many of the individual elements are subtle and easy-to-miss if you're not listening attentively.

This is music that is very easy to get "lost" in. The songs flow from one to the next, but that's not to say there aren't some stand-out moments of awesome song-crafting. Take for instance the impressive live-drum work leading right into the climax of "Pearl", which is quite a pearl indeed. More clever vocal-layering by Cadoo emerges on "Of Days". "What Would Hope Be Without Disappointment" is fittingly the centerpiece of the album, a masterwork of beat-manipulation, interplay of guitar and bass melodies, layers of ambient synths and solid drum work.

If you're a fan of any form of electronic ambient music, or post-rock, post-metal or shoegaze, it should be very easy to absorb Epilogue in Waves and let it dissolve the world around you.