The Internal Tulips - Mislead Into a Field by a Deformed Deer

  • Published
    Apr 7, 2010
  • Words
    Resident Advisor
  • Label
    ZIQ266CD
  • Released
    March 2010
  • Genre
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  • Individual origins certainly gave little indication to The Internal Tulips' collective intentions. Comprising Brad Laner and Alex Graham, the duo both boast histories in colder American IDM fields under aliases familiar to investigative listeners of the Planet Mu label (respectively best known as Electric Company and Lexaunculpt). As the mystical title hints, however, Mislead Into a Field by a Deformed Deer is far removed from difficult laptop drudgery. Six years in the making, it computes that Mislead exists outside trends. Copious guitar bands have re-appropriated Beach Boys talisman Brian Wilson via the medium of lo-fi in that time; The Internal Tulips instead conduct an elegant dehumanisation. Extending Planet Mu's unsung tradition for challenging electronic pop alongside its catalogue of more punishing dance floor delights, no prior attempts have ever cut quite this immediately to the bone. There's a moment a minute into initially plodding micro-epic "9 Tomorrows" where everything slots into place neatly enough to satisfy the most neurotic OCD freak. Satellite transmission stardust settles upon a staggeringly brittle skeleton, twisted together with solar basslines and disarmingly pretty acoustic guitar. From there it's a picturesque ride to the outer limits. The funereal charm of touching indie-rock sad sacks Sparklehorse is one rare tangible reference point within moments like "Arlie," the song that, apparently, cemented The Internal Tulips' sound many moons ago. "Arlie" and, later, "Talking Hoshizaki Blues," ably demonstrates their real magic, too: in creating musical apparitions that feel at times as if the full picture isn't visible to the naked eye, the subconscious can't help but jump ahead to fill in the gaps. You're left not only wanting more, but desperate to immerse yourself in this twilight world for further entrancing glimpses of its organic warmth. At its height, Mislead Into a Field by a Deformed Deer is almost stately in its splendour, a soundtrack to the darkest nights, sending tingles down your spine. Indeed, only historical tests could identify its age if you buried a copy in the ground in an appropriately tulip bulb manner for future generations to unearth. At once contemporary and evoking a broadcast beamed from the distant past through a static-ridden filter, The Internal Tulips deserve to transcend obscurity and bloom out into the open.
  • Tracklist
      01. 1/2 Retarded Tuner of Hurricanes 02. Bee Calmed 03. 9 Tomorrows 04. Arlie 05. Dead Arm Blues #b510 06. Talking Hoshizaki Blues 07. Mr. Baby 08. Songbird 09. Parasol 10. Fixed Confidence 11. Long Thin Heart 12. Invalid Terrace 13. We Breathe
RA