Drone - 'colourformoney' (My Kung Fu) Released 29/01/07

What a messy affair. Songs start as folky strums and end up as scatter-brained drum ‘n’ bass workouts, or begin with hypnotic reversed instruments that mutate into soothing confessional hymns. But whatever Cassidy Phillips – aka Drone – lacks in focus on his debut album, he certainly makes up for in ideas.

In truth, the lack of focus on ‘colourformoney’ is every bit its joy as its pain. With repeated listens, the frustration gives way to an appreciation as to where Phillips is coming from, fuelling the sense that the record could not have been made any other way.

The tracks generally emerge from the combination of acoustic instruments with fried beats, overlaid with a warm synthetic glow. Phillips recorded the album by himself on outdated equipment, which definitely lends the collection an intimacy that more polished examples of the genre lack.

Highlights include ‘Spiderhead’, which comes over like Hot Chip remixing Paul Simon, the Beta Band-gone-soul of ‘Telephone’ and the towering beats of ‘Vintage Ptii’, though spectral guitars, hushed vocals and bizarre musical cul-de-sacs can be found nestling in all corners of this record.

The album’s chief let-down is the spoken-word open letter to a former lover, ‘Etherheart’, which gives the listener the feeling that Phillips is giving us just a bit too much detail. Less is more, Cassidy. A bit of a lyrical cop out at the end doesn’t help matters either. And while the scuttling off down electronic dead ends may delight many listeners, some may not have the patience to put up with Phillips’ attention deficit disorder over 11 circuitous run-arounds.

Drone is most definitely an acquired taste, and while there is already plenty here for those who like their electronica to have a beating human heart, there is also much reward for those willing to brave a challenge. Eclectic without being truly groundbreaking, ‘colourformoney’ represents a promising start for the Kidwelly Kid.