ilkae - bring extra dragons cd review from textura.org Bring Extra Dragons is not only the last Ilkae album scheduled to be issued by Merck but, with Aaron Munson and Krystian Lubiszewski having parted company, the last Ilkae release period. To which we can only say: too bad, given how smoothly this final collection goes down. The material often sounds like the duo spent a day at the local arcade recording their favourite machines and then converted the collected noise into musical form. The results: jubilant electro-pop tunes overflowing with gleefully chattering Gameboy melodies and skittering beats. Occasionally a head-nod vibe underscores the material; at other times, a Plone-like stateliness reigns (“Promenade,” “Canneberge”) and sometimes quietude sets in (“You're A Slow One, Llittle Bear”), though never so much that Ilkae's glittering, keyboard-heavy sound is ever too far away. The duo squeezes so many layers of synth melodies into tracks like “Equate With Oxen” and “Exit Theme & Victory March” one is almost dizzied by the sheer density. The album's all of a piece but “Cinnamon Dragon Blues,” a sweet concoction of gentle melodies and propulsive breaks, stands out as particularly satisfying. In an electronic field that daily grows ever more crowded, it's significant that Ilkae's gleaming sound remains so instantly identifiable. A shame, then, that Bring Extra Dragons is the duo's last hurrah. -Ron Schepper ilkae - bring extra dragons cd review from cdbaby.com Oh, how I love Ilkae. Give me the meat of the breakbeat and the sweetness of little synth melodies and I'm set for months. Where their previous effort, "Pistachio Island", was filled with 45 tiny songs (all of which are completely charming and still make the rounds in my listening), this release lays down longer, more complete pieces using what I'm compelled to call pop with mechanics. Pop mechanics? Anyway, the balance is fantastic; you get the perfect amount of glitchy beat with the melodies and vice versa. Most of what you'll hear are quirky and happy IDM, but they can also take a breather and offer songs that are more ambient and relaxed, though not stepping all the way out to soundscape. It's full and realized, complex and layered, textured and slick. All in all, there's nothing I'd rather have with me on a train ride in Japan. -CDBaby ilkae - bring extra dragons cd review from goflyingturtle.blogspot.com The young duo of Ilkae bring us their final collaboration via Merck. This music takes me back to the sounds of old video games from Atari, Sega, and Nintendo. Yet this isn't a mere imitation of the music of old school video games. Ilkae bring a warmth and sense of musical composition to each track, which seamlessly merges into the other like a vibrant, glowing digital patchwork of sound. Both upbeat and melancholy, from beginning to end "Bring Extra Dragons" is an engaging listen bringing classic video game sounds to a new level. And, as with many Merck releases, the amazing illustration work of acclaimed digital artist Fthr graces the cover and disc. -Steve

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