Suspended Memories "Earth Island" (1994)

 

Reuniting to follow up on the entrancing dusky spells of Forgotten Gods, the trio tread lukewarm waters, unable to spark the temporal magic that sung before. Failing to find fresh distinctions, their worldly disjointed percussive lines and ancient cultural chants rub up against airy atmospheric synths in a mediocre affair. With soft keyboard driven ambiences, its smooth, cloudy synthetic chemistry resides in a lofty yet unassuming place. Danger and mystique or awe and wonder rarely engulf quite like before.

Hinted strongly in naming and presentation, the album cover, Earth Island yearns for a cosmic perspective, yet even the brief chatters of astronaut communications nestled in doesn't sharpen this vision. Melting World offered immersion, a grade above the rest, but it also marked a shift. The initial human link between stars and stones shatters as a darkly brooding unease encroaches before the final two songs break pace again.

These ambient works often feel subjected to mood and fatigue more so than other genres. So i'd take my words lightly. One can hear the trio trying to move the Aztec inspired soundscape out of its shadowy realm, turning to an uplift, brighter in spirit, yet earthly and deep. The two ideal either don't gel, or lacks execution. Subsequently, the gravity that came before is illusive despite the mild meditative calm it conjures.

Rating: 5/10

Suspended Memories "Forgotten Gods" (1993)

Fancying another foray into the works of Steve Roach, a musician with too many records to count, I couldn't help but notice its popularity on Spotify alongside the pivotal works of Structures From Silence and Dreamtime Return. The latter leaves its legacy on Forgotten Gods with the consistent jabber of worldly, cultural and ancient percussive sounds. The construct, like before, is beautifully disjointed, deconstructed and abstract from the norms of groove and rhythm found in western music. Although in any moment its strikes and hits seem free and sporadic, its arch find a meditative pace, holding the atmosphere together with a steady, easy temperament.

Suspended Memories is the name for Roach's collaboration with fellow ambient artists Jorge Reyes of Mexico and Suso Saiz of Spain. A cultural tie to the Aztecs feels beyond relevant. With distant native chants and baking dusty echos, the musical pieces delve into the shamanic mystique the mysteries of lost civilizations can conjure. Both warm yet nightly, one can envision the blistering heat of desert sands, secrets laying in wait under weathered tombs. Equally, its drafty tone and dreamy presence has the cautious calm of night. Dangers lurk in the shadows yet the listener is always safe within the ambience. These contrasts co-exist, allowing one to hear their own adventure within the music. It may not be intentional but has been remarkable.

As the title Forgotten Gods hints, its theme evoke celestial wonders lost to the decay of time. As expected the record explores a variety of temperaments. Snake Song and Mutual Tribes appealed strongly to desert vibes I initially thought of as Egyptian but on further study, the inspiration was likely a historical middle American. Ritual Noise was the darkest track on offer, a lone song where a nefarious presence gets a little to close for comfort. Despite its devilishness, all the music is beautifully soothing and meditative. I've heard these sounds encroached on prior, yet the trio handle it so masterfully. This is absolutely another favorite for the ambient collection.

Rating: 8/10

Hocico "Broken Empires" (2021)

 

Ever since Memorias Atrás, Ive always been in the mood for some Hocico. I've found there output to be somewhat stale despite loving their Aggro-Tech sound. Its in smaller doses I tend appreciate their work more. This two track EP with accompanying remixes has been fun! Both offer up hard banging beats and harsh synths to revel in a little cyber goth dystopia. Both songs run through the expectant arrangements, typical build ups and flows but its the aesthetic detail that catches the ear on this outing.

Title track Broken Empires hints at its killer bite early on as dense chunky bass synths ride up against a stiff hi hat on swift repetition. The cymbal is interchanged with that classic 90s House hi hat tone and when the song peaks the two resonate off one another with a relenting energy that's hard to resist. The dark spooky melodies that accompany are decent but its really the labored texture of that bass synth that drives the song along, drifting in and out of intensities with a helping of atmospheric design.

The other song, Lost World, is a production powerhouse of driving density, all the sounds are crammed into gaps between its thick rhythm section of pounding kicks and engulfing bass synth. Its a rather linear push of dance energy fit for the club floor, mostly ebbing and flowing around its main catch while also throwing in a little niche audio gimmick as the shouted words get cut and shuffled into the crowded mix.

The additional cuts of Broken Empires offer some alternate version but with little deviation from the original they add little to whats already been offered. These two songs are tight and well written. I wonder if in the duration of an album they would be lost on me given the mediocrity of Artificial Extinction. Having to focus on just two songs really let me digest and enjoy them! These will be songs to return to.

Rating: 3/10

Hocico "Artificial Extinction" (2019)

Its more than fair to say the Mexican duo Hocico have a sound set in stone. Their Agrro-tech tone and temperament hasn't budged in a over decade. 2017's Spider Bites offered some b-sides and inconclusive experiments that made for an interesting listen as a fan. This new album however sticks rigidly to their hard hitting and darkly formula, churning out another eleven four to five minute tracks of thumping drums, aggressive synths and harsh screams. What's different this time around isn't much. A noticeable switch up to Drumstep style beats on a couple of tracks, however they are the most generic of samples, ones which I enjoy of course.

With the mildest of change ups, the record as a whole fails to produce much that sparkles. Its a very routine album where you can simply drop in if your in the Hocico mood. It delivers on that, another installment of driving dance floor kick drums, heavy hitting, the backbone of many songs, steadily thumping through just about every track. Around that drive, harsh and filling clicks, clacks and buzzes of percussion and Industrial noise create a thick barraging wall of unearthly sound. Layered looping arrangements of unnerving melodies dance of the variety of synth tones tuned for each track. The vocals are one dimensional, every word delivered through the same "whispering scream" that tends to blur into the music in a drone.

It occurs to me now that even its interlude tracks stick to the blueprint, being interchangeable with others from previous records. With each song deploying a repetitive arrangement pummeling dark EDM, it takes an emergent melody or break to elevate the mood and that seems to take place every other song or so. Only one song excelled, Damaged. Its shift in percussive style exciting and the stand out melody with its spacey bells is thrilling every listen. Otherwise its the same old thing from this duo. Next time I wont bother since they seem set in their ways, even if I like that sound.

Favorite Track: Damaged

Rating: 4/10

Hocico "Spider Bites" (2017)

Hocico are a Mexican Aggro-Tech duo who have been at it for almost twenty five years now. It was their fifth album "Memorias Atras" released in 2008 that caught my attention. Its one of those "go to" records when in the mood for dark and moody aggressive electronics. Its fully of catchy melodies and pummeling Industrial EDM grooves. Unfortunately it has served as the summit of their success as the band have somewhat stagnated on the same ideas and aesthetics that peaked with that album. Each release since has been more of the same, my interest in their music dulling significantly. "Spider Bites" might be the last time I check in with the group. Its an EP that weighs in at thirty one minutes, not too short of full length but its track arrangement shows two halves that don't make a whole.

Opening with "No One Gets Out Alive" we are thrusted into grip of the harsh and thudding tempo of a linear snare kick drive that incessantly thumps away as jagged synths and layers of flashing buzz saws conjure a menacing setting for distorted, twisted screams to drive home the theme in the songs name. Its an atypical rigid composition where all the instruments are instant on the attack and fall to silence swiftly as the pair so typically compose with a digital mindset of on or off with no room for subtlety. "I Abomination" is another dark banger that's far more appealing. It has depth and texture in the instrumental, dropping the fast choppy melodies for drawn out textural waves that conjure an atmosphere perfect for the main melody and hook to drop in with a classic Prodigy like vibe. "All Beauty Is Lost" is the third of these straightforward clubbing tracks however its toned down resulting in a lot of atmosphere for piano melodies and slower string like synths to create a more inviting enviroment. At nine minutes its no progressive epic, after playing through its motions the pianos are given center stage to go solo and lead back into the same loop, resulting in a needlessly long song but one that's endurable given its calmer tone and interesting piano compositions.

The other three songs represent the between moments that would break up the intensity of back to back club tracks on a full length. "Conjuro" is a noise driven Industrial atmospheric track in which the distorted, reverb soaked vocals take center stage. It sometimes sounds as if key instruments and drums have been removed from what might of been a fully fledged song. "The Secret Window" is the records best moment, an interlude for the groups softer synth sounds to orchestrate a sense of mystery and wonder within a short space as its lead alluring melody plays over and over, deep echoing kicks and whiffs of synths pass it by as the underlying buzz saw slowly intensifies and guides it through the abyss to find conclusion in a break beat. The last track starts out somewhat similar although it detours as a rumbling Industrial base line go up against a slow expansive drum groove while more mysterious melodies play out.

For me this record isn't cohesive, its a collection of ideas of which some are actually quite impressive individually, together they have little direction or consistency. There is no doubting that Hocico are a talented duo with a unique sound however a lack of theme or vision means each song feels isolated. Just as one pulls you in the next will break the spell and move elsewhere. Its bitter sweet, disappointing but there are at least a couple of tracks worth coming back to from time to time.

Favorite Tracks: I Abomination, The Secret Window

Rating: 4/10