Review - @random: "At Random 7"

independent album

When choosing a name for a music project, many artists simply put a number of preferred options into the proveribial hat and choose one at random. Gold Coast brothers Jonathon and Andrew Muecke liked that process so much they not only named their act At Random but that also seems to be the way they select their musical influences... not that there's anything wrong with that!

Since 1991 the Brothers Muecke have created 6 recordings that have been made available to people the world over. That catalog comprises 2 cassette EPs, one UK/Europe-only CD EP and three albums. This seemingly (to the uninitiated) self-titled 7th release/4th album follows many of the trends established for the other outings, including no real-title (each release numbered sequentially like all Chicago's records), and a musical mix which ranges from world-influenced to nouveau-pop to straight-ahead radio-friendly tunes.

The random acts of musical expression on "At Random 7" will continue to assure the addition of  such tunes as Its True, Wait, Man In The Moon, and One More Time to their already impressive achievements which include airplay in India, Belgium, on Rage, MTV, the Js, the Big Backyard and Channel V as well as in film and video sound tracks. @random: is a fine example of the quiet success achieved by somewhat-underground Australian artists, while "At Random 7" is at least a «««« venture in itself

PG (Jacky) Gleeson