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Robert Schroeder — D.MO Vol.5
(Spheric Music SMCD 2046, 2024, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-04-26

D.MO Vol.5 Cover art

The first track on almost any Robert Schroeder album I’ve heard to date (and I’ve probably heard less than ten of the 45 to 50 he has released) is generally annoying, something I’d rather stop listening to right away and take in just about anything else — and then with the second cut things always get far more interesting. I guess it’s my aversion to pop music, which in a programmed electronic setting seems somewhat cheezy and repugnant. But Schroeder is a masterful electronic creator who often operates in a diverse range of styles, and most of what he does is genuinely enjoyable, it‘s just that the opening cut that he thinks will lure me in, is almost always enough to drive me away. D.MO Vol. 5 is no different in that respect, although it’s something that could be considered a collection of rarities from the past, and the fifth in a series of such albums, things that he composed and recorded between 1979 and 1990, that never quite fit the same spirit of whatever album he happened to be recording at the same time, so it was left off and shelved without any plans for a future release. D.MO is Schroeder’s abbreviation for demo, and so it is that Vol. 5, like the four volumes before it, is basically pieces that were started but never fully finished in that moment of creation, instead left to the lost and found to be picked up again at a later date and completed, and one can bet that in this mode of creating music, he will probably have a Vol. 6 and Vol. 7 of found demos showing up before the end of the decade. These are all pieces with simple titles like might be appropriate for a demo recording — that poppy opener I previously referenced is “Radio Active,” while others have titles that might be a bit more descriptive, like “Moments of Love,” “Harmony of Emotion,” or “Smooth Relax.” The second track, simply titled “Lovely Guitar,” features prominent electric guitar over a layered synth backdrop and a pleasant electronic drum pattern, whereas “Between Day and Night” builds out starting the opposite way, beginning with a rhythmic groove, synth strings, and then moving into more interesting territories. The closer, “Optional Space,” is nearly ten minutes and probably one of the most engaging pieces in the set. While these demos probably don’t measure up to the material on his regular releases, they are what they are, heretofore unfinished compositions that are certainly worthy of a listen.

Filed under: Archives, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Robert Schroeder

More info
http://robertschroeder.bandcamp.com/album/d-mo-vol-5

 

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