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Regardless (because?) of Jimmy LaValle's history with such hardcore outfits as Swing Kids and GoGoGo Airheart (of whom I am admittedly ignorant) and his role as guitarist in his 'day-job' with Tristeza (again I plead ignorance), alongside the possibly off-putting description of ODIBOT as 'spacey, ambient guitar minimalism meets electronica' on the press release, this is without doubt the best instrumental record I have heard since Millions Now Living Will Never Die. The reason is simple, it has the ability to move me in a way that any number of post-Tortoise bands have failed to. It breathes humanity and warmth, is calming and melodic, brooding and melancholic. But it can also be upbeat, experimental and alive and never veers into areas of indulgence and pointless noodling or takes itself too seriously. In the mp and asleep real drums add an essential depth though the programming on the audio pool is convincingly 'organic.' The guitar-led songs possess the same character and poise as the best of Aerial/Papa M and a similarly unfettered aesthetic, offset by the wealth of keyboard sounds and textures Lavelle layers upon the likes of last time here and the innocuous opener gust of. Passing traffic, studio conversation and pounding rain all find their place among One Day I'll Be On Time's sixty minutes of aural massage.

Matt Dornan
CWAS #8 - Summer 2001

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