Lackluster What You Want Isn‘t What You Need
A peculiar album from Finnish IDM artist Esa Ruoho, What You Want starts unremarkably, through […]
A peculiar album from Finnish IDM artist Esa Ruoho, What You Want starts unremarkably, through some “Idioteque”-ish beating around the bush before showing what he‘s got on “Hiatus,” which bubbles with originality and energy. It‘s a jarring lead-in to “Down,” conjuring a journey through dark and ominous country roads, which is Ruoho‘s Lynchian intention. Its electro-ambient follower, “N,” is a contrast of such beauty that you brace for the next devil‘s curve, but from here on out the ride is smooth. The music-box instrumentation of “The Cluster Theme” glistens with just enough grit, and before frenetic closer “Dropouts,” Ruoho hints that he‘s listened to The Cure‘s Disintegration at least once. Ultimately, a disjointed collection with a few satisfying highlights.