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Reviews

Malcolm Galloway — Metazoa
(Bandcamp no#, 2025, DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2025-04-23

Metazoa Cover art

Malcolm Galloway leads a dual musical life, one as a contemporary minimalist electronic composer, and another as a composer and member of the progressive rock band Hats Off Gentlemen, It’s Adequate. Last month (March 2025) we reviewed the latest Hars Off album The Uncertainty Principle, and now it’s time for Galloway’s latest solo release, Metazoa, not to be confused with Metazoa One which was the leadoff single track that we reviewed in these pages nearly two years ago; the album at hand contains that track as well as “Metrazoa Two” and “Metazoa Three” along with five more tracks to round out a full double-LP length download. So what exactly is a metazoa? In biology we learn about protozoa, which are basically single celled animals, and metazoa are multiple-celled animals where different cells handle different functions as needed for the complete organism — thus, nearly all animals are metazoan. Galloway has a particular interest in how all living organisms develop and evolve, and if we could turn back the clock and re-roll the dice, would everything turn out the same as we know now, or would life evolve differently? The musical pieces herein are most certainly evolutionary, developing as they proceed forward vibrantly, predominantly performed using piano, keyboards, electronics, and loops, and unlike most other electronic artists (Berlin school, floating ambient, lush symphonic, etc.) Galloway generally keeps things busy and moving at a brisk pace, constantly evolving without a lot of repetition for its own sake, all in service to the overall development and the outcome. Pieces like “Float / Drop” and “Cnidaria” as examples present very different conceptualities, the former a slower moving and deliberate progression while the latter develops in myriad ways as everything seems to fall into place. The three “Metazoa” tracks are quickly moving pieces that rarely slow down but nonetheless are always changing and surprising. With “The Anxiety Machine,” it was originally excerpted into three short parts (seven minutes total) for the Hats Off album The Light of Ancient Mistakes, but here is presented in its full original form at close to fifteen minutes, and like the other pieces at hand, it’s constantly evolving over its longer trajectory. Fans of minimalist artists like Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Mother Mallard, and perhaps some of Klaus Schulze’s early 90s work should definitely check out what’s on offer here.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Malcolm Galloway

More info
http://malcolmgalloway.bandcamp.com/album/metazoa

 

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