Den Sorte Død "Den Sorte Død" (2021)

All to keen to explore this newly discovered Berlin School niche, I snapped up this side project by Offermose. Now, I feel a little burned by an impulse decision. What I initially heard at a glance alludes me through this dreary bleak experience that Den Sorte Død is. Translated to The Black Death, its inspiration makes sense of its glumly harrowing tone that hopelessly drifts through a sombre graveness. Track after track drones with an empty loneliness devoid of hope and wallowing in defeat.

This context has given me a greater respect for the record but before learning of this, I was somewhat dulled by it, having anticipated a more adventurous set of songs. Instead its a grueling journey of pale sorrow, a defeated human spirit trapped in perpetual misery, drifting from place to place with no uplift insight. The occasional swells of dark and menacing music gives a sense of seeing the horrors, carcasses piled high and the burning of bodies, a particularly grim endurance for any soul.

 Without the context, these aesthetics gave me strong cosmic vibes. Atmospheric synthetic strings and meandering saw wave melodies painted the astral skies at night. Thus initially it reminded me more so of Grimrik. There is also a ghostly wobbling synth instrument suggestive of cheesy old school horror soundtracks. Because of this it all felt a bit empty, set in the vacuum of space with an eternally drifting nature. I've come to enjoy it more now, the ending of Det Tabte Slag being a memorable note as it descends into gristly and unsettled territory but otherwise I could of passed this one by.

Rating: 4/10

Offermose "Stilhedens Tårn" (2020)

 

The journey continues, as it always does, now I find myself floundering blindly into a new scene. So familiar, yet built on a different tonality. The engulfing spells of Dark Ambient and nostalgic mystique of Dungeon Synth, channeled through shivering soundscapes, find a convergence on classic synth sounds resurrected from decades gone by. Known as Berlin School, my introduction has come through a musical darkness which I adore. Arcanist was my first and now I'm unearthing more of these broody plunges into the shadowy realms. Hinged on electronic tones, keys and modern conventions that are more often seen as fun and entertaining synthetic instruments than ones to conjure the eerie and ambiguous as Offermose does here.

With all that said, Stilhedens Tårn and its six chapters use this electronic force sparingly, acting more as atmospheric conjurings that journey somberly and morph into satisfying, driving swells of emotion. The haunting whirl of winds, unsettling ambiences and rustling sounds of nature nestle a rich sound design for its synths to bring haunting drones and chilling melodies too. The whole affair feels organic and natural as its potentially pristine synths are dressed down with an aesthetic tarnishing to ground the music in an earthly feeling. It does come in degrees though, Sjælens Ruin finds itself morphed midway by tight synth arrangements, playing out woven around a steady and simple percussive groove of snare and bass kick.

Much of this record lingers on an ambiguous spot, lonely yet beautiful. Meditative and broody but never drifting to far to the bleak, its poise hints at something devious with discernible human voices creeping into the backdrop on occasion. It all unravels with Tvillingeflamme as the pains of a despairing voice are muffled under a sinister vampiric synth. The arrival of a demonic voice and sounds of strikes paints a torturous scene in the imagination as the flame of the song flickers out with a funeral macabre air to it. A stunning way to seal off a wandering set of mysterious musical spells.

Rating 7/10

Lena Raine & Kumi Tanioka "Minecraft: Caves & Cliffs (Original Game Soundtrack)" (2021)

 

Following in the footsteps of C418's iconic Minecraft Soundtrack could of well been a daunting task. It doesn't seem to be so for Lena Raine, who has assumed the role of lead composer with no hiccups or birthing pains. Her contributions so far have been both apt and inspiring. The folks at Mojang have made the smart decision to stick with the powers of soft ambiguity and melodic resonance that powered the original music. Lena however brings a different flavor that suits the games spirit yet deters from its electronic origins a little. This new collection of songs stands tall alongside the originals, adding a new and welcomed variety to Minecraft's stellar atmosphere.

With four of her contributions, the influence of great ambient composers is a clear one. The luscious reverberations of minimal yet spellbinding pianos has an immediate parallel to Brian Eno & Harold Budd's memorizing The Plateaux Of Mirror. The airy ambience and spacious echos give magic to the enchanting piano performance. With it, however, comes a more adventures spirit! Chirpy key chops and subtle percussive drives on Stand Tall bring a playful charm. Left To Bloom and Wending brood groaning textural tones into the songs, worming from humble beginnings into dense swells of mood. The latter brings in these dreamy slices of bass guitar, crashing down to earth with slabs of notes. Song four, Infinite Amethyst, perhaps comes closest to home.

Left out of the game itself, for now, Ancestry is exciting in its embracing of the darkness. Set for the Deep Dark biome, its pushes into the shadows with deep swells of bass noise and shimmering sounds held only to the light by the echos of a piano that gently pulls the explorer through. Its conclusion is thrilling too as chilling alien voices can be heard, perhaps the voice of the Warden itself? Otherside Is the other track to break the tone. As an in-game record disc, its lively drumming, skipping pace and layered composition somehow holds over a little of that classic ambiguity, as the main upbeat melody and lead instruments feel sent from anothers quirky dream.

Sadly, Kumi Tanioka's three contributions feel underwhelming in comparison. If intentionally sparser songs to pace the games soundtrack, then so be it. To me, they mostly play like stripped down versions of the first four mentioned tracks. The sombre piano performance often wanders into lonely territory devoid of magical reverberations. Its swells of atmospheric pads below don't have the same intensity to blossom the music. They do however sound lush and moving in the peaks which make up a small portion of each song. These compositions just lack that little sparkle of oddity that made C418 and Lena's contributions resonate so wonderfully.

All in all, these songs only add to the game and with this soundtrack released approaching the final part of the update, I am hopeful that maybe each future update will come with some complimenting soundtrack to enrich the experience. The rest of the game has evolved over the years, so why not its music too?

Rating: 7/10

Yagya "Always Maybe Tomorrow" (2021)

 

With little in the way of a stylistic divergence to be found, Always Maybe Tomorrow is the sort of release I prefer from an artist who I enjoy, yet may not find something new as they remain in their lane. This is a straight forward four track EP of droning dreamy cuts with the typical Yagya sound. Its synths, percussive pallet and ambiguous noises seemingly recycled tones from past projects but in this brief format its a welcome place to revisit. So much so that I'd fail not to repeat myself in describing it.

Each song is a deployment of rich textural aesthetics. Its perpetual deep bass pounding a soothing rhythmic backbone for a one way drive through the varying temperaments of its various instruments. Dense with atmosphere and calming in nature its quite the meditative experience for focus with no human voices to provide any distraction from the entrancing experience of these dreamy drones.

Perhaps I could remark on Standing Still In A River for a more prominent synth melody that repeats on itself endlessly, upfront in the tracks limelight. Beyond that excursion I find myself with little to comment on. This is a very typical set of tracks from Yagya, great to enjoy but not to much in the way of breaking new ground, which I doubt was ever the intent.

Rating: 4/10

Old Tower "Plague Harvest" (2020)

With a history of patchy release in Old Tower's beginning, a stride of good form developed into a unique craft of darkness, culminating with The Last Eidolon. It is a stellar record, the apex of the Dutch musicians scenic Dungeon Synth spell. News of fresh music excited but ultimately disappoints as its lengthy, fourteen minutes halves dabble in the black ambience that usually builds to bigger and grander things. Plague Harvest however, meanders in the moments before, its shadowy reverberated sounds of eerie mystique and foreboding despair barely enriched by the creaks and cracks of movement in the tunnels of darkness ahead. Being a creature of atmosphere, the music drags its way into denser constructs, with only a flicker of melody and brief sense of event as lightning strikes under the downpour of glum rain and howling winds.

These details of particularity return in the second stint as distant clanks echo against the crackle of a dying fire. Its light stays as light, airy synths of temporal presences sway in against the gloomy weathers, overtaking it to eventually hear the trickle of a river and sounds of life in the distance. Eventually the flickering returns and darkness prevails on a rather uneventful affair. Writing these thoughts out makes it all seem more obvious that this is an exercise in a different approach to story telling. Against the backdrop of what came before it, Plague Harvest often feels like the calm before the storm this artist had forged before. On their own, it does feel underwhelming but its temperament is its own. Expectations may of caused disappointment but I don't think so this time around.

Rating: 3/10

Steve Roach "Journeys To The Infinite" (2020)

Having spent a pretty penny on records this month, the availability of a free compilation was a welcome one. Once again the itch developed for some relaxing meditative music of which Steve Roach is both a master and pioneer. With this being a collection of eight tracks all from different projects, there was much to enjoy. All were new to me, with exception to one song rehashing a keen temporal melody off Structures From Silence. With such variety on display it is hard to comment on the particulars but I found myself in awe of the apparent ease and simplicity of his unfolding compositions, which are inherently deceptive as time silently ticks by.

The songs start in timid places. Simple arrangements of atmospheric synths or modulated synths, unimposing in stature, lure one into the fold. As the master does, the music grows patiently. Layers build and a thick atmosphere engulfs one with stealth. Later into these lengthy constructs one can be in awe of the density that amounts to such deep and spiritual insights. With eighty two minutes of finely crafted, temporal, meditative ambience peering into the mind, its easy to get lost in this record.

With such a plethora of music produced and continuing to create, it can be daunting to know where to go with his catalogue but it seems the musician has a constitute quality to his output. Maybe this compilation will serve as a jumping on point to another album as I find myself keenly curious by the soundscapes he forges. I particularly liked Skeleton Passage with its Tangerine Dream vibes and also the subtle world music ques akin to another classic Dreamtime Return on two of the songs. Fine music!

Rating: 7/10

Radiant Mind & Steve Roach "HelioSphere" (2019)

In need of indulgent ambiences and meditative music I turned to Steve Roach again, who has an large and extensive collection of records under his belt at now 64 years of age. Dreamtime Return had, excuse the pun, returned to my consciousness, setting a spiritual atmosphere for my yoga practice. Looking for a new flavor I picked out this collaboration with Radiant Mind. Eight tracks and sixty four minutes of calm and soothing, gentle streams of sound to evoke peace and reflection. Its all steady and linear, temporal music stripped of event and urgency. All chapters offer different pallets and arrangements of synths and reverberation conjuring safe and warm atmospheres that also feel a fraction of mystery as an astral component blesses the music. One can feel the stars graciously drifting by in the stillness it masters with its layers of yawning, hazy sound drifting in and out of focus, just a grasp away.

The seventh track takes a slight and welcome detour from this construct. Ironically similar to Yagya, who's new Stormur release I recently covered, it has a pulse from start to end, a subdued dub beat gently droning its monotone pulse through the spine of the song. It adds a little pace and movement to the track as a key instrument lingers around the attention it draws, coming in and out of focus like the breath. Like the other songs there is little progression to the sound design yet the beat gives it a sense of presences the others don't have. It stands in contrast but works in the overall run time which is less about a bigger picture and more about minutes in which to loose your thoughts to the persuasive calmness. Its a simple and effective formula executed well enough to reach that space and feeling of inner peace.

Rating: 6/10

Steve Roach "Eclipse Mix" (2017)

In the mood for more meditative music I stumbled onto a free, hour long release from Ambient master Steve Roach! It is initially quite the uneventful and hard to pin down record as its soft alluring drones of calmness continuously perpetuate the stillness of space. The spacial humming murmurs illusive creaks of notes that fall like a blanket, one big blur of rising sound that makes a moment feel eternal. The knobs and dials of Steve's synthesizers are tweaked to that magic tone where the reverberations ooze into one another as gleaming synths seem to turn over each other without collision. It grows in intensity, its repeating elements building up and then unwind.

The calm, inviting space carved in the beginning of the track gives way to a darker shift as the twenty minute mark passes. Eerie, uneasy synths bring disharmony to the forefront with buried, disjointed melodies and reverberations that sound reversed to unsettle the listener. Whenever enjoy the relaxing music in the background, it doesn't take long to notice this shift in tone as one feels on edge in its presence. Beyond this phase the music rears itself on an icy path, the warmth and fire of the two opening phases seem distant, the tone is of limbo, as the new setting holds hints of these differing dynamics yet is suspended between them all.

It lacks the distinct and consistent tone of the opening, always unsettled by subtly shifting and allowing for big, glacial synth tones to rise, melt and flood the soundscape. It may be devoid of obvious melody but it becomes quite eventful in the final phases as big brooding sounds revolve around each other and cut the stillness like passing monoliths, inanimate but massive in scope and presence. All in all its a really enjoyable hour when in the right mood. I sought something out and got exactly what I was looking for! Best of all it was free on Steve's bandcamp page!

Rating: 6/10

Jean Michel Jarre "Equinoxe" (1978)

In the mood for more of this nostalgic, imaginative yet primal electronic music, I picked up French composer Jean Michel Jarre's following record from the classic Oxygene. In the two years elapsed since, the music has advanced with a subtle refinement in composure and the evolution of bold and sharp, chirpy synths. In the brightest appearances they become reminiscent of Chiptune and 8-Bit tones in passing. The records use of environmental sound, wind, waves and the like are far more complimentary and overall the visions conjured resist any detraction from the quirkiness off these experimental noises, although blurbs, beeps, blips and barbs talk like an alien voice on Part 4 inbetween the sounds of limbs slashing through air like hasty karate chops.

It seems that in its beginning Equinoxe leans more so into the dark, paranoid and dystopian realm. With decades of music between this and now, what once may have been quite the shock now sounds more ambiguous and open to interpretation in the wake of progressively evil music. It has its upbeat and cheerful tunes too, Part 5 being a particularly playful, the soundtrack to an interplanetary cosmic fairground. These adventurous, chirpy melodies continue into the next part and then the record slowly finds its way to a darker setting before the roar of thunder and patter of rain leads us to the present with the sounds of French fairground music panning the stereo. It ushers in a contrasting conclusion to the record with more spacey, galactic wonder.

Equinoxe is seemingly a step up in production but it mostly spins similar ideas to its predecessor, which has quite the impact on first listen. Its an enjoyable record, the atmosphere and adventure is ripe and vivid but also novelty too. I can't help but feel I'll enjoy each record less as the wonder of a fresh stylistic pallet subsides. I spend a fair amount of time with these records, maybe ten or more spins before I write these blogs and Its music like this I'm sure you can form strong bonds with if it fills a gap in your musical experience or arrives at the right time. For all my listenss little has stuck with me in terms of its key melodies, they mostly fall back into the tapestry of instruments that make up its atmosphere.

Rating: 6/10

Jean Michel Jarre "Oxygene" (1976)

Early synthesizer music has always fascinated me, the likes of Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream have been a pleasure for years so its always a delight to stumble onto some of these old records where electronic music sounded vastly different from today. Retro synth tones and soundscape ideals, an embracing of ambience and the imagination make these records starkly different from what else was available at the time, Its a true fascination to hear these early artists and their emerging visions. French composer Jean Michel Jarre certainly had a finger on the pulse and this forty minute classic is a delightful work that still holds up well to this day.

Its six songs flow like a river. The whirl of layered looped synth cycles buzz out entrancing and repetitive indulgences that subtly expand and contract as its various elements slowly shift over the songs. The droning constructs give way to lead tones that play out like a guitar solo on a couple of particularly engaging passageways. Its percussive edge is varied from track to track. A range of synthesized emulations, hi hats, kicks and snares, sit softly in the background holding tempo and for large parts of the record drops down to a construct of two or three hits as it ebbs and flows into its different degrees of intensity, complimenting the mood and tone of his synths.

What sticks out like a soar thumb but certainly works is its use of rampant, rolling laser zap sounds and other "gimmicky" synthesized noises that are hashed in. The chirps of birds, calls of dolphins and husky whispering electronic waves wash into the music with a firm boldness that add to the atmosphere despite being clunky in nature. Its the underlying melodies that rise up from a repetitive foundation that make the music transformative, giving it sparks. Within the lure of chilled out, indulgent atmospheres, mysterious, new age synth tones played with curiosity, always emerges a lead instrument, sometime two in tandem, to follow and make sense of the scenic sounds.

Its a marvelous listening experience that visits six distinct chapters, of which four was immediately recognizable. It dives straight into a memorable lead melody that was very familiar. I couldn't find any movie soundtracks I suspected I might know it from but it did feature in the GTA IV soundtrack so perhaps that is where the familiarity extends from. All in all its just a fantastic gem of a record that any lover of electronic, retro or ambient music should take the time to check it. Its entrancing, indulging and full of vivid imagination birthed through sound.

Favorite Track: Part IV, Part V

Rating: 8/10

Old Tower "Ruination" (2017)

In the age of ever changing release formats we have Ruination, The New Darn Cometh, simply a lone nine minute track of meditative Dungeon Synth, the defining style of Dutch musician Old Tower. Its another gloomy and atmospheric piece of brooding, darkly synth that could be placed right alongside The Rise Of The Scepter, released earlier that year. Its pallet and range of events are limited in scope but its sense power to conjure rural visions of dark, foreboding medieval times are on form.

Horns and trumpets of isolated glory sound of the song as a familiar vale of deep foggy synths mystifies its leading melodies, one can see a stoic castle being consumed by heavenly clouds sweeping in over cold and unforgiving moors of a harder time for man. Its crawling pace steadily brews its way towards a break of soft choral choirs that allure in gong strikes and a sense of epic that drifts gently out of focus without a peak. At its end a murmurous melody of lonely mischief winds out the last minutes of the song on a whimper. As a reasonable song packaged within a short project, the music yearns to be part of something bigger but is lonesome. Old Tower has a spell bounding and wondrous sound that I wish to indulge in for far longer.

Rating: 2/10

Tim Shiel "Glowing Pains: Music From The Gardens Between" (2018)

I have fond memories of discovering Duet, back in the earliest of days spent writing these music blogs. Australian composer Tim Shiel's latest Glowing Pains, an indie game soundtrack, brings about a familiar realm of soothing ambience, ambiguous cloudy places that shape mood and induce relaxation with the powers of the subtle and inconsequential sound. Its forty one minutes play with an apprehension towards pace yet faintly drifting us through the passing seasons with its iterations.

This timeless place of simplicity lingers in limbo between childish innocence and frozen stillness as quirky murmuring instruments, long yawning airy synths and indifferent melodies bring about the distinct vision some artists reach. His hallmarks of winding backwards samples and the chirping of birds are infrequent as Tim homes in on the lungs of instruments as they breathe in and out of focus at a crawling pace.

A feeling of duality marks these songs as a stillness holds within it a pale life life. Time has slowed down as we gaze upon a moment in time immortalized by a lack of motion. Snow falls like it may never reach a surface, winds blow with no gust at all and the echos never bounce back. For whatever vision a song may conjure, it feels like an eternal moment of reflection. Never sad, upbeat, esoteric or even truly ambiguous, everything feels earnest and without exaggeration, letting an unenthusiastic beauty resonate.

Throughout the record a significant vocal inclusion makes itself known with a fair helping of featured vocalists who enter their soft and breathy human presences into otherwise devoid soundscapes. It works wonderfully until the last song where the two don't quite vibrate together. Through these drifting atmospheres the occasional bass guitar line strolls up and past the limelight, emerging like an occasional guest. It was a meager detail I enjoyed. Fine record.

Rating: 7/10

Grouper "A I A: Alien Observer" (2011)

This record has safely made its way into my record collection thanks to its appraised placement in top Ambient record lists. Grouper is the name and behind it a lone musician, Liz Harris, who utilizes her delicate voice like an instrument. She adds an eerie sad loneliness with her solitary tone hazing the soundscape like a spirit drifting across the voids of space between stars. As the name suggests and possibly plants the seed, the atmosphere conjured feels distant, astral, unusual and alien. Yet its pleasant, spiritual and most importantly relaxing. This is a very warm and welcoming sound that flirts with ambiguity with innocence and safety in mind.

Unfortunately this music has not sucked me in all the way. Minimalism and ambience can often pay a price for its simplicity that leads to similarity. In the case of Alien Observer it doesn't feel all that unique. Liz has crafted a beautiful aesthetic of dreamy, weary instruments glazed in a mysterious low fidelity charm but the melodies that play through it are meandering and without intent even if childlike for the most part. Of course that can be a strength too in pursuing a vision but each track does little to stand apart as the experience seems to linger in the same spot.

All the songs feel the same. However Mary, On The Wall starts off with a music box melody. Its eerie background noise and slow pace creates a unique moment that vanishes as the notation concludes and rides us into the familiar wash of warm cloudy sounds. Liz's voice is magnificent, drifting through the cloudy ambience like a lost soul. Its endearing and in a couple of moments where she rises above the music with audible words it becomes illuminating but the instrumentals lack conclusion. Much of the record reminds me fondly of Julie Cruise. As a result the place we visit doesn't feel all to new and so it was an enjoyable record but didn't forge much to remember.

Rating: 5/10

Toska "Ode To The Author" (2016)

I caught the UK based trio Toska live recently at a Plini show promoting their magnificent Sunhead album. It was an engrossing performance, there was an electricity present but I'm not so sure it translates that well to the studio. The roar of mammoth, grooving guitars hooked in the room with there vibrations, unable to escape its grasp. Ode To The Author features a couple of tracks I recognized from the show. Its an entirely guitar led meld of Post Metal soundscaping and Progressive Metal tangents, making for some distinguished moments as the range of riffing leads us into unique places.

Without a vocal presence the guitars really do make up a forward momentum as the bass does little to expand upon its tone or experience. The drums chime in with appropriate grooves and energy to create some dynamism. Even in its moments of intense inflections and intricacies it still seems to play second fiddle to the mammoth presence of Rabea Massaad who dominates the spectrum, making his lone guitar sound like an ensemble.

It has its appropriate moments of calm and acoustics, lush notes plucked with harmony but the main avenue is groove and power beyond the structured formula. Massive shapely, lunging riffs gather momentum in the expansion of tension through minor progressions. It makes for colossal moments born of a careful craft, slowly growing songs that always seem to steadily lure us into a trap of mountainous riffs, cascading with a great weight.

Its all brilliantly executed, its steady build ups and sudden shifts feel organic and natural. It flows like a river and builds an engrossing atmosphere that quickly lures one in with vision as we explore the array of riffs, of which its groove elements even steer close to Nu Metal briefly and more obviously Djent with the occasional polyrhythmic and elasticated riffage. I'm very impressed, with a new album out November I will certainly be getting myself a copy.

Favorite Tracks: Chasm, Illumo

Rating: 7/10

C418 "Excursions" (2018)

German composer Daniel Rosenfeld aka C418 has birthed iconic music and sounds stained into the minds of millions of Minecraft fans worldwide. His unique sound and approach seems an uncanny match for the games engrossing atmosphere, almost to good to be true. Over the years he has released the games soundtracks alongside his own records that mainly dive into the House and Downtempo orientations of Ambient Electronic music, while showing that his flair extends into all degrees of composition hes attempted. With each passing record the wonders are revisited with a degree of expectancy and predictability but always within the allure that his style conjures, resonating and radiating its hypnotic, colorful warmth.

Its not been since my first exposure to his sound that the soothing radiation of warm indulging sounds has been so strong. Even within the realms of familiarity and anticipation, his capability finds an exuberant stride. One hundred minutes of beautifully ambiguous moods and engrossing atmospheres that win me over with a luminosity and vibrancy to these sounds we know all to well. The textures of synth, tones of melody, buzzing baselines, composition traits, the shrink and expansion is all akin to what we love about this artist and its executed wonderfully. One new experiment emerges, the sounds of birds chirping in Cold Summer gives it a wonderfully exotic and mysterious vibe if only for a song or two.

Its hard to dive into details when everything feels so snug and sweet. This is the C418 we know, the songs don't take long to feel like you have known them forever and yet the magic flows forth through a range of songs so typical of him. We have light ambiences led by pianos, quirky ambiguous melodies and banging percussive lines that seem to creep in like the morning sun through blinds. The transitions are sublime, one instance there is barely a beat and moments later the synths have arose, the snap and clap of snare and kick is in full swing. Excursions has flow, zen and sustains its spell for a remarkable length, suspending us in its dimension. Possibly his best.

Favorite Tracks: Cold Summer, Benton, Thunderbird, The President Is Dead

Rating: 9/10

Mistigo Varggoth Darkestra "Midnight Fullmoon" (1997)

Continuing our journey through the nostalgic realms of Dungeon Synth, I cast my mind far back as memories reach commands. Into my mind popped this strange cassette I obtained well over a decade ago. My memory of how and why I got Midnight Fullmoon are vague but I remember finding the band name somewhat hilarious. The music itself didn't captivate me since I only listened to it once, at the time I had no knowledge of DS or if that term had been coined yet. It was just a strange and peculiar piece of music from the early days of a now evolved and blossomed sound.

Its opening track wains in a balance between harsh, cheesed synths and whirling, spell bounding wave forms in the background. They relish the low fidelity setting and start to conjure the dark and indulging atmospheres one might expect. The following track nails this, a primitive composition pined by a beating heart as the sound of rain drops lowers the tone and thunder strike reinforce a lonely, gloomy setting steeped and an eerie, mystic vibe driven by its subtle synth lines. Track three is one I remember, or more so its familiarity to a well known melody which I couldn't pin down. The music is fine but the aesthetics are just to bold and punchy, it stands in contrast to what came before it.

At this point a direction, arching theme or sense of place fails to define itself. A swampy song is clustered with a selection of sounds including trumpets that seem to pull it in multiple directions, only to be followed by a dizzying six minute experiment with techno synths and buried electronica drums. It too suffers from an arsenal of contrasting sounds that fail to gel. A brief uplift from the short The Last Rays Of A Dying Sun is a brief glimmer as the following track plays around with bells and reoccurring theme of unsuited instruments chiming in with one another in an unmusical fashion of gap filling.

Its easy to point out flaws and focus on negatives. If I were to rid myself of the focus a charm does emerge, one of mysticism and distant voices of despairing figures. Its dark allure has a safe distance and a couple of passages ways do strike something of memorability, especially that ever present heartbeat. Another consideration is how primitive this was. I have no idea as to how these ideas spread beyond tape trading and its relation to the Black Metal scene. Although records like Depressive Silence had far more to offer at its time, this could be seen as a jewel if isolated in its inception. There are interesting and intentfull ideas at play here, they are just far behind the then curb.

Favorite Tracks: Raining Darkness Of The Forestland Midnight, The Last Rays Of A Dying Sun

Rating: 4/10

Nine Inch Nails "Bad Witch" (2018)

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are offically the duo that makes up the current Nine Inch Nails line up of this specific era. Atticus expands his role into songwriting with Trent after having produced all the groups albums for the last decade or so. Bad Witch is the third and final in this series of mini albums following Not The Actual Events and Add Violence which the pair have written together. The three records make up a larger experience which I am yet to enjoy in one session as a whole musical piece.

In my mind this thirty minute ride splits itself into three phases with the first two songs focusing on the lyrical content. Shapely words fit to mold your feelings can be interpreted in many ways but give the focus on the now and the mutation of change, one line in particular "celebration of ignorance" strikes me as being aimed towards the social-political climate we currently endure. Its fuzzy, hard and grizzly guitars channel the aggression into singular moments as its tightly tuned drums propel us through the aesthetic landscape of Industrial noises and layered synths that forge a disenfranchised mood.

Its next songs include the saxophone which adds a distinct voice to two songs that unpack themselves with groaning landscapes, heaving, expanding and contracting as the musics various layers of sound slowly evolve through their duration. The first track has a beautiful break in the middle for layers of sax to work mysterious magic before the track winds down gracefully. God Break Down The Door seems to mirror this approach with the sax taking a backseat. The inclusion of Trent's voice and the lively drum and bass percussive loop greatly ups the energy it exudes.

Moving into the third phase we have our ambience tracks, the first a soundscape piece of paranoia and phobia driven by a brooding baseline that drags us forward as alien, dark and dystopian noises build up a closing sense of dread that culminates to a hellish moment in the middle, letting the music repeat itself over. The following Over And Out is my favorite song from the record. It lays down a foundational drum groove and woven synth sounds for a big grooving baseline to patrol. Ready for extensive repetition, these quirky, off key, ambiguous piano notes float around the music, mixed into their own carving of audio space. The song sets itself up for length but wisely Trent brings in his voice to drive home a narrative that time is running out and the instruments are pulled through the volume sliders before descending into a drone of airy reverberation to let the music calmly fade out.

Its hard to say exactly what I feel about this record. Much of Nine Inch Nails music from this era demands much of your time to unpack the depth these songs possess. With each listen more is uncovered but it is only inches to the mile, excuse the pun. After quite a few listens the music still feels like it has a lot to offer however It does not wedge itself in the mind. I will listen to all three together at some point and then happily move forward with this band who I appreciate greatly but never quite get sucked all the way in.

Favorite Tracks: Play The Goddamned Part, Over And Out

Rating: 6/10

Kaitlyn Ayrelia Smith "The Kid" (2017)

Its an involved, vivid experience... zany, eccentric and astral, "The Kid" is wild ride through a tapestry of electronic quirks and swirling synthesizers reminiscent of Tangerine Dream, engulfed in an intelligent, synthetic Art Pop construct. I saw this release in a few lists, noticeably in some "Avant-garde" sections. Its American composer Kaitlyn's sixth full length in as many years with a consistent output that seems to be building steam among critics. Unfortunately I do not share their praise, for all its vivid intensity and use of marveling sounds, I found such sounds mostly novelty with little emotional cohesion between her voice and the accompanying journey through sounds. Some passageways have direction, a sense of rise and full but a large half load in a calamity of colliding sounds that don't visualize anything too obvious.

"An Intention" Is the one song where passion and emotion pervade in the instrumental which scales back its quirkiness and gives focus to Kaitlyn's synthesized voice, always heard through some mix of multi harmonized pitch shifting. The human robotic tone is utterly engrossing as words and sung notes sway between the two ends. Its atmosphere is mysterious, nocturnal and very akin to the Fever Ray self titled record, yet it has as greater freedom in its instrumental to explore as winds whoosh and alien organ synths gleam maddening melodies over the steady, slow murmuring bass kick.

Its the a rare time across all thirteen tracks that balance is achieved, for in most the other tracks her voice plays second fiddle to a swarm of quirky, adventurous, playful sounds exploiting the dimensional space of the listener with mysterious manipulations and smothering them in a dense web of intricate noises which mostly have little melodic value. It could be considered an "experimental" approach but it feels as if the point is missed. A lot of the synthesized noises, often imitating natural, jungle sounds, feel messy and unorganized, the result yielding little spark or pizzazz to get excited about beyond aesthetics. It has certainly been an interesting experience but its hard to enjoy what feels like a deliberate move away from convention when the convention clearly works wonders. There are plenty of fruitful ideas and interesting compositions here, to often do they seem to steer away intentionally.

Favorite Track: An Intention

Rating: 4/10

Ulrich Schnauss "A Strangely Isolated Place" (2003)

Suggested by a reader, this hour of relaxing bliss was an instant fit for me. In patches its fondly reminiscent of Tycho's Drive with its washes of lavish, serine, sleepy melodies. German composer Schnauss comes off the back of the nineties with shades of Breakbeat, Trip Hop and Electronic scene of that time echoing ripples through his dive into synth oriented Dream Pop that plays like a trip. So swiftly can you fall into the spell of sweetly arranged sounds bleeding into one another with thick drippings of reverberation. Ulrich's voice creeps in like another instrument in the arsenal as his high pitched words are drifted in from the back like a ghostly voice in the distance. Only utilizing words on a couple of songs you can also here him as an instrument in places.

Its drum breaks hold the music together with a stiff injection of life and pace into an otherwise swirling self indulgence of vivid synths loosing track of time as the chemistry blossoms and ripens. These compositions have an organic, progressive element as contractions sweep through the musics wall of dreamy reverberated sounds. It allows for the often static feeling music to go through many transitions and transformations that feel entirely natural and without resistance. It lives, it breathes and the swarm of inviting sound is dense, with finesse and balance that can border on Noise in one or two songs but always its richness is a persuasion to be charmed by.

Everything hangs in the balance and through it all a warm breeze of peaceful intention arises. Although sleepy and sombre its always in awe of beauty, conjuring feelings of an innocent day in the soak of sunlight, a walk in the park, the simple things mother nature offers us. As the title suggests a shade of loneliness or isolation is in there but that's mostly down to interpretation. This record is rather wonderful and a better understanding of the electronic scene at the time may suggest this being a precursor to a lot of Dream Pop influenced electronica that has come by in recent years. Without a weak point or track to pick as a favorite it sits as a potential go to for years to come with the album playing as one big experience.

Rating: 8/10

Godflesh "Post Self" (2017)

The clamouring chunks of battered carcass crash and collide as the desending weight of Godflesh's signature sound, the building blocks of noise that boom and blare as bloated chunks brimming with thudding guitars and rumbliung baselines, thunder in frieght between the fracas of furious dissonance thats wails between the roar and flails. The two pillars that support their iconic sound are tentatively pulled apart, the opening metallic grooves of "Post Self", "Parasite" and "No Body" find the discordant breaks between low end riffage stretched, expanded and pulled apart as the albums songs steadily plunge into harrowing, dark and introverted atmosphers of self psycadelia where guitar noise soundscapes reign supreme as experimentation strikes inspirational gold.

The listening experience of an album comes to life here as track skipping and attempted plucking of "moments" spoil the intensity of letting the forty seven minutes of music unfold into itself. The blackened hands emerge from the shade, grasping, smothering dragging one into the shadows of introspective ambiguity, the light that shines on but does not illuminate. The loud, visceral nature of the record is like a morbid curiosity that swells in your conscious, the fixation on an ugly mechanical beast lost, wounded in your paradise. Suffering, pain and anguish scream in agony as we observe from a distance, the industrial rumblings that motor and drill away as soundscapes of punishment play themselves out.

Broadrick's return to Godflesh in 2014 with A World Lit Only By Fire was rather disappointing. After such a long hiatus, a stripped back, bare bones, riff orientated metal album felt lacking as the most explored and obvious side of Godflesh was resurrected. With Post Self a wild pallet of tone and texture emerges as all sorts of influences and links signify themselves from the purpose of the music. The Industrial drum beats frequently pump and thud like decelerated EDM grooves, the deep textures of sound intensify viscerally like Power Noise, the sonic soundscapes of dissonant guitars echo Post-Punk bands and ravishingly stark synths in the closing tracks pull the likes of astral ambiance to the center of a bleak and harsh experience.

This record has reinvented the excitement once heard on Streetcleaner and Pure, the immediacy and indulgence of the record is sublime, a moody, sonic textural exploration peaked by endless strings of ideas that spark, the wailing, desperate screams on "Post Self", the intertwined noise and depraved screaming that burrows into hell on "Be God". The record is loaded with vocal work that masks itself into the wall of sound, even taking on robotic, electrified distortions on another track. With attentive ears many percussive abuses and glitches meld into the smothering sound... oh and how can one not delight in the glory of the guitars that rediscover themselves track to track in the rich density of effect drenched guitar tones. Its simply a stunning record with an obvious direction that really lets the entire album serve as an unfolding experience to leave one in awe of its apex.

Favorite Tracks: Post Self, Be God, Mortality Sorrow

Rating: 9.5/10