Falls by RF

Exploratory, deep, and full of hope for a failing humanity, rf bends the minimalism of 20th Century classical composers like Morton Feldman and Arvo Part through the best use of ring-modulated guitar I've ever heard. The result is something crushingly soft and endearing. - Edward Stafford, Music Director KSCR

One look at the cover art and you have a pretty good idea what you're in for. A blurred picture of green and yellow trees alongside an old highway. The harsh asphalt from the road contrasts with the organic aspects of the foliage, and Francesconi combines these two aesthetics perfectly on "Falls. ...This album is excellent from beginning to end. Francesconi's ability to blend so many kinds of music and put his own distinct touch on them keeps it from ever dragging or getting boring. Each song flows seamlessly into the next, like a river meeting the sea. It may not have seemed like it from the outside, but once you're on the inside, you realize these things belong together. "Falls" is a wonderful album for a rainy day, or any time you just want to feel warm and fuzzy. The familiarity keeps you from feeling like a stranger in a foreign land, but the new things RF shows you make you feel invigorated. - Brad Rose, Foxy Digitalis

...with 2004's Falls, Francesconi continues to develop and deepen his unique sound, consistently managing to strike a fine balance between electronic and acoustic sounds, programmed and improvised composition, and the voices of both his human collaborators and his computer software. The result is an album that doesn't just entrance with its beauty but also raises the bar - not just for Francesconi's future efforts, but also for any electronic music that crosses my path in the immediate future. - Jason Morehead, OpusZine

'Falls', the second album from California-based Ryan Francesconi, is a further expansion of his trademark, and perfectly crafted electronic & traditional favoured crossover, under the RF alias. Its roots fixed firmly in the belief that electronica and real instrumentation can have breath-taking results, without sounding too clinical. Sharing the same atmospheric beauty of Mum's recorded output, 'Falls' is a blend of ambience, crunchy Matmos beats and a teasing array of instruments which include violins, mouthharp, cello, guitar, percussion and trombone... - Andy Harrison, Angry Ape

Over the course of 14 tracks and 65 minutes, there are a myriad of wonderful moments and the album itself feels like the perfect soundtrack to watching rolling fields pass by out the window of a train. It's peaceful without being cheesy and touching without being obviously cloying. - Aaron Coleman, Almostcool

If you had to pigeonhole RF, you might label it Intelligent Acoustic Music. His whispering guitars and gentle programming make me want to snuggle up with my iPod and a good Haruki Murakami novel. - 3Hive

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