proswell - bruxist frog cd review from boomkat.com So the time has finally come (after what seems like months, nay, years of anticipation) and Merck is ready to close its armoured doors to the outside world, retreat into a cave of Merckiness and never see the light of day again. Okay I’m being over-dramatic, but this is the last ever Merck release, so thank goodness it’s a good ‘un. Proswell has long been one of my favourite contributors to the Merck canon, with his debut album ‘Konami’ being one of the finest albums on the label, and I’m very pleased to say that ‘Bruxist Frog’ is a fabulous example of what makes him so gloriously different. For starters this isn’t your run-of-the-mill electronica, this ain’t an idm album no matter how much you might want it to be – rather Proswell (real name Joseph Misra) takes his cues from fabby Nintendo NES soundtracks, pre-1985 electro and cheap movie scores. The resulting mutation is an expertly crafted album which doesn’t really fit in anywhere, and that’s what makes it so incredibly endearing. One minute we might have a grinding slice of retro electroid-worshop, then a bubbling piece of synthetic ambience straight out of the Delia Derbyshire cookbook, and the next minute we might have a decaying slice of Castlevania worship. It’s impossible to predict and in the very capable hands of Misra this messy web of influence is expertly condensed into something very listenable and actually fun. Yes, I said it, fun, it can exist in electronic music – so all you bored, jaded forumites, with your eyes covered in dead pixels, distance yourself for a minute and remember there can be enjoyment in this life – Proswell knows this and my goodness he ain’t afraid to share it. Merck might be gone, but with a little help from Proswell the label will live on for a little longer in our hearts and minds… R.I.P. Merck.

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