Woob2 4495
| Woob2 4495 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Studio album by Woob | |
| Released | 21 September 1995 |
| Recorded | Square Centre Studios |
| Genre | Electronic music, Ambient music |
| Label | Em:t Records |
| Producer | Paul Frankland |
Woob2 4495 is the second full-length album from Woob, the stage name of ambient musician Paul Frankland. It was released in the UK on em:t records on 21 September 1995.
While not generally regarded by ambient music fans to be as cohesive or ground-breaking as its predecessor, Woob 1194, Woob2 4495 still contains material reckoned to be among the best ambient music released in the 1990s – particularly the 25-minute-long "Depart", and the album's closer, "Later". It also contains the shortest Woob track to date, the 33-second long "Cupboard", which is made up of elements of "Depart". The album also makes less use of vocal samples than 1194, instead utilising organic sounds such as hand-claps and heartbeats.
Frankland himself was dissatisfied with the album; in a 1998 interview, he said: "Woob² did not quite live up to my expectations. On a compilation I had a track where the band really played together with guitar, drums and bass. I wanted the second Woob album to really sound "live", but that was not possible". More recently, in 2009, he stated "the second was a lot more structured, with mostly predefined arrangements", lacking the spontanteity and serendipity that defined the first album.
The album's cover (like all em:t releases of the 1990s, a digipak), shows a keel-billed toucan. Unusually for an em:t release, however, the sleeve folded out, to reveal two cartoon-like illustrations.
Two tracks recorded during the 4495 sessions ended up on em:t compilation CDs – one that emerged before the album itself was released, and one after. These are "Fourteen Thirty Three" featured on Em:t 2295, and "Mould", (which makes use of samples taken from the film Sex, Lies, and Videotape), which featured on Em:t 5595. Elements of "Mould" would be re-used on the track "Stranger Air", on the Repurpose album.
On 1 May 2010, it was announced via Paul Frankland's blog that a new Woob album, Repurpose, would be released. It finally emerged on 27 May. Repurpose contains two tracks that are reworked versions of tracks from 4495 – "Nylon", a new remix of "Later", and "Departure", a remixed and shortened version of "Depart". It also contains samples of other Woob tracks from various em:t releases and compilation albums.
Repurpose was released in three forms: 25 numbered first edition CDs, 150 second edition CDs, and as a download on soundcloud; and eventually on the iTunes music store.
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