Kram Ran is the musical brainwave of Winnipeg, Manitoba's Mark Wohlgemuth. Resulting from a life immersed in subculture, fast-paced living and his vast array of musical influence -- many of them known for their avante-gard or evasive sound -- is Kram Ran's debut album, 'When I Move...' Self-produced and released by his own label (Wooly Records), the album instantaneously renders itself as a by-product of determination and passion.

As for the sounds heard on this album, there is no close comparison. The entire album is based around electronic compositions with complete disregard for “how it should be.” Warbling backround synth, intricately mapped beats of an IDM-ish nature, and conceptual lyrics channeled through Mark's distraught and cacophonous vocals. The progressing theme throughout this album is the dissolving of a relationship, the realization of what has happened and the discovery of how to advance past it. While the lyrics in airy opener “Press Play, I'm Leaving” clearly indicate Mark as the story's subject, one will easily tend to put himself into the situation described throughout the rest of the album. The frenetic delivery of “Real Wreck” is brought forth with acidic, glitch-laced beats while “In The Over Yard” hints at the nomadic nature of Venetian Snares. “Butterflies, Pancakes, Knots And Syrup” is the closest Kram Ran gets to melodic, but is as haunting as the rest of the tracks. Mark's spirituality emerges here, when he says “I feel all will go on..., Either I'm lying to myself, God lies, or he lies in me, And keeps saying it's okay, It's okay,” and the first gleam of hope is seen. “Broke Before Sunrise (Only A Boy)” is mostly spoken word accompanied by some pompous synths. The odd track out on this album is closer “Confessions For A Late Night...,” defined by Mark's one-time use of acoustic guitar. The instrumental songs scattered throughout, like “Bleak Placements On Return Visits,” “This Is The Trial” and “In The Clouds Flow Fly” are slower and quite relaxed in comparison to the others, breaking up the tension throughout the album.

As for delivery, it's left to each to decide. I've never had the ear for truly avant garde sound, so it's hard for me to judge. Some immediate flaws within the production are that the vocals are mixed rather low in a number of places, and the beats are a bit to dense in some spots, cluttering the musical feng shui. Either way, this album will leave you unsettled amidst the most intriguing of sounds. Picture Animal Collective's Panda Pear doing vocals for a collaboration between Matmos and Autechre and you might be in the same vicinity as Kram Ran.

Rating: 3/5