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jupiter 88 / Michael Jude MacDonald & Darla Villani

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Chart Magazine
On paper, this EP looks like a potential disaster, or at least a project to be consigned to the "quirky" bin. Happily though, the duo of Darla Villani and Michael MacDonald combine strings, a sax, cheap programmed drums, stream-of-consciousness lyrics and turntable hi-jinx to a bizarrely catchy effect. Their theatrical music recalls composed Philip Glass, 4AD collective This Mortal Coil and Tricky's other project, Nearly God. Even though the band seems to share an affinity for Jupiter (diameter 88,730 miles), Villani's Suzanne Vega-meets-Holly Cole-at-a-surrealist-happening vocals bring the music down to Earth. Top everything off with a subtly ironic sense of humour, and you get one of the year's most interesting and rewarding releases. - MD

Mod Magazine
Taking cues from Portishead, Tricky and DJ Spooky, this dubby, ambient-hop duo take the leading edge on incorporating classical themes into vocal humping electronica. In addition to the requisite sampler usage, Darla and Michael borrow others' skills on viola, violin and cello to present their neo-gothic package to an unsuspecting listener. The constancy of Darla's storytelling vocals is abstractly punctuated (at times rather acutely) by thumping percussion and keys, or otherwise left hanging in a roomful of quiet hung by suspenseful strings. Murmurs mutate into trip-hop bloodlust only to be calmed by melodic vocal melodies akin to Hooverphonic's ecstatic intonations. Dares were meant to be taken afterall. - Keith York

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The material for this CD was recorded in 2 different studios - in 2 different incarnations of the band. The original band was predominantly made up of Michael and vocalist Darla Villani. They produced the band's first CD, Jupiter 88, which was released by Seattles's Unit Circle Rekkids. The second and final incarnation of the band consisted of MacDonald, vocalist Rosa Pullman, and Jonathan Lemaster. Michael's most brilliant vision was to successfully marry the avant garde music that he loved (e.g. Shoenburg, electronic and tape based music, 20th Century chamber music, and free improv) with the populist beats of rock, country, trip hop and electronica.