James Rutledge’s breed of electronic indie-pop has been heard around the
U.K. since the late ‘90s. Rutledge, known as Pedro in the music scene,
released his self-titled debut album on Feb. 14 in the United States. The record contains two discs, one titled Pedro, which features the nine tracks from the 2004 U.K. release of the same name, and Fear and Resilience, a seven-track disc that features remixes of Pedro’s song “Fear and Resilience.” Pedro is electronic music and then some. Instead of random, computer-generated beeps, the album features many instruments, including trumpets, bells, chimes, acoustic guitar and sitar. Pedro’s instrumentation puts his music high above the electronic music of the burnt-out raver generation. Both albums have a mystical feel, with sounds reflecting different musical cultures. Tracks include the Indian sound of the sitar, Spanish guitar and other distinct sounds. The albums are entirely instrumental and each track contains many themes and moods. Pedro’s music often suffers from an overload of creativity. Many of the tracks are out of the ordinary when compared to mainstream fare, but sound similar when compared to each other. The album is much better suited for the “shuffle” feature on your iTunes playlist. In addition, the random chaotic noise on the album is only enjoyable if the listener is in a laid-back mood. Pedro starts with the song “Intro.” The track mostly consists of repeated keyboard notes and what sounds like a toy piano comes in with spaced-out notes. It’s pretty and soothing, but then toward the end a synth comes in and makes an unnerving racket. “All Things Rendered” stays consistent with a more techno sound by using blips and beeps, which are reminiscent of raindrops hitting the ground. The track is upbeat and happy, with a light and simplistic sound. The second disc is a collection of remixes of Pedro’s “Fear and Resilience” by artists including Danger Mouse, Prefuse 73 and Four Tet. The original “Fear and Resilience” starts with a drone intro changing in dynamics. The sound then changes to a Spanish guitar and drums, and then infuses random explosions of trumpet and synth. The song is another example of how Pedro keeps the listener on his or her toes by taking a pretty sound and adding electronic distortion. The remixes all sound diverse, and some are improvements of Pedro’s original track. My favorite remix is by the Cherrystones. The song is made to sound like a spy movie theme, with steady rock drumbeats and long synth notes. The sixth song of the second disc is untitled (a blank spot is left on the album’s back cover) and contains a minute and 20 seconds of laid-back drums and soft guitar played in a relaxing, retro sort of way. The writing, production and playing talents of Rutledge are far beyond most musicians today. His skills make Pedro a musical gem. - The Maneater |
![MH-240 Pedro - Pedro [2006 Edition]](/album_art_front/MH240_F.jpg)
1XLP/Out Of Print