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Loudhaler: Noodlehouse

The appropriately coined 'Noodlehouse' (ie house for noodling rather than chinese restaurant) is both the name of Wellington artist Jason McClelland's studio space and his second album under the Loudhaler moniker. It is a meandering album, but rewarding on repeat listens - gorgeous opener Monday Breaks is worth revisiting and the delicate samples in The Bug (Mood Music) make for a delightful couple of minutes. With the prolific-ness of Pro Tools, there is much electronic music made in this vein but where Loudhaler excels is the way he uses his tools. Minimalist and uncluttered, a little panflute here, a shaker there, and some gorgeous melodies floating throughout, he plays with space between noise, and excels on those tracks that are not overcluttered. While the loud synthetic-beeps in Stepper Safari are a bit off putting, there is much in here that is rather charming including some sparse vocals from Hinemoana Baker and Dan Adams. This release wouldn't be out of place amid the Warp Records output from the late '90s - if you are a fan of that catalogue you might be interested in a local variation.

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