Keef Baker:
"Pure Language"

Track list:

01. Straw Overcoat
02. Psychiatric Credit
03. Chance
04. The Middle
05. Certainty
06. The End


Total Play Time: 29:53

I became a fan of Keef Baker upon hearing his first release on the n5MD label. It was a breath of fresh air being accessible in it's sound, but also being new and vibrant with more depth then just an album of beats or minimalistic synth lines. I had pretty much sworn from that moment on I'd always get my hands on anything released by Keef Baker. It took me awhile to finally own Pure Language, but I have it now and can safely say it upholds the awe factor that The Widnes Years set my expectations at for Keef Baker.

So I did say it took awhile for me to get Pure Language, which I can admit was because I had the audacity to doubt it's sound would be enjoyable. Ad Noiseam, who has released tons of great music; was touting the new MCD as being "acoustic and organic" when I first heard of the release. For some reason that came across to me as being less electronic or not having to do with his past sound. I knew I'd have to check it out someday, but put it on the bottom of the list because I didn't want to hear something "acoustic and organic" from my favorite artist off the n5MD label.

So over a year and a half passes after it's release, and I circle back to Pure Language to finally give it a chance. Whatever fears I had about a soft rock or non-electronic sounding Keef Baker album we're laid to rest pretty quickly with the beginning to Straw Overcoat. It starts off with that "organic" feel Ad Noiseam mentions, but it gets to the beat pretty quickly and I am immediately enthralled. The soaring synth lines and ambient backgrounds are still there, along with the catchy drum beats which captured my attention in The Widnes Years. How Keef Baker pulls off incorporating another layer to his sound through use of standard musical instruments is amazing. I am no master in the art of music, so I can't tell you when an actual instrument is being played in the songs of Pure Language (versus simply done via keyboard). It sounds like at every turn though, there is something new done with that "acoustic" sound the MCD is said to have.

This isn't a speedy album, and it's not a slow album. It's a release full of many emotions that pick you up and carry you along elegantly. The sound is so natural that I never feel coerced into the sound, I just naturally want to see where the music is going to take me. Another new aspect to the sound of Pure Language is the addition of a female vocals in the songs Chance and Certainty. They aren't long verses or anything like that, but rather small lines added into the sound; and as I should just expect from Keef Baker are masterfully added to his sound. It was odd at first to hear vocals in his music where none were before, but they are wonderful additions that blend in well with the emotions behind the songs. Chance is a very lively song that's fun to listen to with it's galloping drum'n'bass'ish beat, its swirling background ambience and the chorus line that's repeated in time with the aforementioned sounds. Certainity has an awesome beat at it's beginning to it as well, and lifts off into grand sounds nothing short of amazing. Towards the middle of the song the beat slows, and the song takes on a very introspective sound and the much mentioned "acoustic and organic" element is brought forward to great effect.

It's a shame that Pure Language was only a mini-album, as I could easily see myself enjoying ten or more tracks done in the style presented by Keef Baker. Then again, with only 6 tracks, we the listeners can be kept pretty focused on the sound and emotion within it. Maybe it's the craving for more that ties in well with the music. It's all seems very humanistic, and anything more then the 6 tracks we're given would pull us from the beauty that's clearly in Pure Language. An amazing release, that will forever hold a special place in my heart. I won't doubt you again Keef Baker!

Reviewed by Bry'n
04.25.08