by Rolf Semprebon
Whereas Lard Free's debut skirted with different styles of jazz and progressive rock, I'm Around About Midnight is a much more focused effort. On this record leader Gilbert Artman has gathered a completely different group of people around him, most notably Richard Pinhas from the band Heldon. With Pinhas's influence, Lard Free's music is much more electronic, with long tracks of synth drones, swoops, and textures and trance-like drum rhythms, traveling into the deep space territory of Heldon and other pioneers of electronic rock. Though the CD is split into six tracks, in fact the first three cuts, side one of the original vinyl, flow seamlessly into one another, for one long oozing piece with varied textures. At times, like "Does East Bakestan Belong to Itself," the music takes on a lighter and dreamier mood, as flutes are added to the tingly keyboard sounds. Other pieces like "Tatkooz a Roulette" have the cold Heldon edge as repetitive keyboard tones and clattering rhythms create stark electronic soundscapes. I'm Around About Midnight goes in more places than the Heldon records from that time, and at times it even leaves the keyboards behind, like on the edgy guitar and drum piece "Pale Violence," whereas "Even Silence" ends the record on dreamy piano runs and wind sounds.