Apparently this duo is somewhat legendary on the Norwegian electronica scene after releasing two award-nominated, critically acclaimed and best selling albums in the first half of this century. It’s what I’ve read, because honestly these are the first sounds of Xploding Plastix to hit my ears, but I do like what I hear.

Debuting in 2000 with single and instant underground hit ‘Treat Me Mean, I Need The Reputation’, Xploding Plastix went on to release what became one of the best selling Norwegian underground electronica albums ever, ‘Amateur Girlfriends Go Proskirt Agents’ (2001), followed by ‘The Donca Matic Singalongs’ two years later. Both were nominated at the major award shows, Spellemannsprisen and Alarm-prisen.

Now five years on it’s time for their third full length effort, ‘Treated Timber Resists Rot’. Although labelled electronica I won’t call it “classic” electronica (if that’s a term that make any sense). Yes, it’s programmed, sampled and whatnot. Yes, it’s repetitive and groovy. However, it is also incredibly organic and more than once closer to jazz.

The foundation is often hand-played (break)beats on which they build with an impressive range of instruments and sounds (‘Kissed By A Kisser’ is perhaps the first time in history a kazoo is not insanely annoying). ‘The Full Graft’ sounds like the soundtrack for Commodore 64 classic ‘International Karate’, beefed up with the manic universe of ‘Super Mario Bros.’, ‘A Rogue Friend Is A Wild Beast’ offers the most beautiful moment on the album and ‘Band Of Miscreants’ the ominous tribal big-beat contrast, while more downbeat moments like ‘Errata’ and ‘Bulldozer Butterfly’ could’ve been David Sylvian/Japan gone instrumental.

‘Treated Timber Resists Rot’ is not an easy listen, but the patient listener is largely rewarded by Hallvard Wennersberg Hagen and Jens Petter Nilsen. Largely, because although variations within their songs are plentiful, variation between songs lacks a little. But that does not change the fact that Xploding Plastix is an intriguing experience on the electronic scene, serving up rich and vivid imagery for the inner eye.

Genre: Electronica
Who: Xploding Plastix
Title: Treated Timber Resists Rot
Label: Beatservice Records
Year: 2008
Country: Norway
Language: N/A
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Recommended tracks:
Kissed By A Kisser – Errata – A Rogue Friend Is A Wild Beast – Band Of Miscreants