about tropism:

FROM INDIEWORKSHOP: http://www.indieworkshop.com/music.php?id=2550
Following the quietly beautiful and solid Haralambos with another equally
quiet and solid record seems like the natural thing to do, especially when
you consider the mastery of emotions and music that Bexar Bexar
creates/assembles. Championed by the NPR version of Casey Kasem, Ira Glass
of "This American Life", Bexar Bexar's organic electronics and
sample-based beatless-jams seem to grow like vines on a fence, or at least
nostalgic memories of what vines were like when you were a kid.

That is what this music deals with mainly, a purely emotional world filled
with hidden memories, lost hopes, and a faint sadness that pervades it
all. It is easy to see how comparisons are constantly made to the ambient
work of Brian Eno, as well as the strange and wonderful instrumentals of
Mum and even Mogwai. It does however deal in a much less cerebral and
ultimately more satisfying earthly realm than much of Eno's work, making
it a little more accessible (not always a bad word!) to its audience. With
the instrumental comparisons, the only thing Bexar Bexar's tracks lack is
the crescendo that some may crave. Tracks drift in and out, and you might
not even notice the passing of time while listening to this record. Again,
that isn't necessarily a bad thing either.

Perfectly suited for the episodic rhythms of radio broadcasts and vignette
journalism, Bexar Bexar's songs are like little snapshots, moving
Polaroids of someone else's summer vacation, set to an eerie soundtrack of
ringing bells, gently chiming guitars and strange electric insects buzzing
in the back- and foreground. It is a beat-less but constantly swirling
collection of sounds and motions that ends up stirring the hearts and
minds of its listeners a little more than the rump-shaking beats of
similar artists like Prefuse 73 or FourTet.
- Grant Capes | 2006-06-23

from TEXTURA: http://www.textura.org/archives/b/bexar_etret.htm

…A homemade ambiance and reflective dimension permeates Tropism too but,
if anything, Bexar Bexar pushes Et Ret's sound to an even dreamier and
more peaceful level. Glistening acoustic strums and flutter drift through
a sea of smeary crackle in “Oil Thumbprints”; deepening the song's
nostalgic dimension, the sounds conjure long-forgotten childhood memories
of summery seashores. Though coloured by subtle electronic touches,
Tropism's pieces are entirely free of dissonance; in “Listening to Your
Party,” for instance, a melancholy guitar melody softly emerges against a
backdrop of faint bird sounds and electronic ripples. A sadness pervades
much of the material (“The Messy Message,” “Sweet Devil”), lending it an
affecting gravitas, while shimmering settings like “Window Piece” and
“Unsettled and Unstable” are about as lovely and tranquil as pastoral
ambient music gets.

from HARMONIUM: http://www.harmoniummusic.com/2006/05/11/bexar-bexar-tropism/
…The first track “Sweet Devil” kicks Tropism off with slow guitar picking
as shimmering white noise flows in and out of the mix like an ocean’s
tide. This trend continues throughout the album’s ten tracks and if you’re
paying close enough attention the tide might just sweep you away,
eventually drowning in the bubbly nothingness of “Cotton in the
Grossness”.
Tropism’s slow, almost melancholy tone never shifts gears. Its effect can
be almost vegetative. The heart will start beating slower, blood pressure
will drop, and by the time “Unsettled and Unable” ends you might be unable
to remove yourself from whatever chair you’ve nearly melted into.

from TRUTH HANGING FROM THE DOOR (blog):
http://fromthedoor.blogspot.com/2006_02_01_fromthedoor_archive.html

…While wandering about the SXSW website, I came across the artist Bexar
Bexar who I know nothing about, but was intrigued by his genre
classification, then by his picture on his profile, then by the quote by
Ira Glass for his bio, then once again by the mp3 provided by the
wonderful SXSW site. His sound is kinda Dntel meets Panda Bear, delicate
instrumentals of both organic and electronic sounds. Everything is so
soft. His songs are like the walk from your front door to the end of your
driveway 7 A.M. on a Saturday morning before you get into your friends car
and go to breakfast. They are a slight drizzle. I have this one emotion
that I only feel with conditions like i just described, but I also felt it
when listening to Bexar Bexar. His new album Tropism comes out soon,
everyone must keep their eyes open for this guy, hes really great.

About HARALAMBOS:

from CMJ MAGAZINE (not the same as the online cmj review)
Without vocals, or even beats usually, ambient music often sinks or swims
on the pictures it manages to create in your head. Brian Eno mastered this
(and rightfully so, having created the genre): Listen to Another Green
World and it's easy to picture yourself on the surface of some completely
empty planet; put on his collaboration with Harold Budd, The Pearl, and
you can almost smell the waves crashing on a cliff beneath your feet.
One-man band Bexar Bexar graduated from the same school, consisting of
equal parts Eno, Múm and Mogwai. His songs construct equally barren
landscapes: "Aidos" burbles up from nothing and swells into a circle of
warm, chiming guitars, evoking what it must be like to float on your back
in the Gulf of Mexico without another soul for miles; the waterlogged,
percolating synths of "Kt" approximate the best beatless moments of Boards
Of Canada, or at least an instrumental B-side from Kid A. Bexar Bexar
often contributes music to dress the scenes on NPR's "This American Life,"
and it's easy to see why. Haralambos makes perfect background music for
quiet, reflective moments: reading a book, lying in the dark, imagining
you're the last person on earth

from FOXY DIGITALIS
“Bexar Bexar have a nostalgic value to them that anyone can relate to;
everyone remembers their high school days and, whether or not they're
looked back on fondly, they inspire certain sad, lonely memories. A
classmates' sudden suicide is brought to life on "Adios." As the
synthesized percussion weaves in and out between layers of delicate
guitars and soft, chime-like keys, the listener runs through a gauntlet of
emotions. Sadness prevails, but there is hushed anger as well.”

from INDIE WORKSHOP
“there is something altogether different and special to this stuff.”
–indie workshop