The Soccergirl EP marks the second release in Carpark's "sports-FAN" series and just about the first time
Kid606 strives to flex his lamenting ambient muscles. In its own way, this is as effective and intense as any of his earlier freako-nutso-breakbeat electro-punk psychosis. From the waiflike electronic glide of songs like "Thank You for Being My Angel (Rev 1)" to the amusingly sweet of others like "If My Heart Ever Ran Away It Would Be Looking for the Day When Right Beside You It Could Stay Forever,"
Kid606 refuses to even play by his own previous rules. His anarchic gabba has been replaced with a sentimental,
Arovane-aping,
Pole-like understatement and one might guess that
Kid606 suddenly saw that his own specialized style has become a mini-establishment in itself. Which, one guesses, demands an internal rebellion of his own. Even his usually humorous titles suggest this shift. Instead of the insulting or the absurd, there is a sequence of songs that seem to encircle a simple narrative of a love found ("Start") and lost ("Over). This newfound candid step is a crucial earmark in
Kid606's career. Understated, yet still unexpected. It's an admirable stab at joining the ranks of the unpretentious auteurs like
Boards of Canada or
Aphex Twin, and it's shocking how well he succeeds. It's likely that this will become the biggest understatement of all. ~ Dean Carlson