eMusic Review 0
A caveat: there's one Minimal Compact song you must hear, but it's not on this album. So before delving into MFU, head over to Returning Wheel and snag "Statik Dancin'," one of the great post-punk songs of all time. Now that that's taken care of, grab "On the Road" from this album. As even a perfunctory listen makes crystal-clear, these songs sound absolutely nothing alike. Minimal Compact, who formed in the early '80s in Tel Aviv and then relocated to Belgium, are a maddeningly inconsistent group, both in terms of genre and quality. Music From Upstairs is very much in the sound-collage vein, with some occasional post-punk splashes thrown in. Considering how many of your monthly downloads this long album will eat up, sample the tracks at random until you hear a riff that catches your ear. I recommend starting with "On the Road" and, for some vocals, the kinda-corny-but-still-enjoyable "Introspection."
