Review: While he is capable of delivering a dystopian cassette of bleak techno and wayward electronica at the drop of a hat, Nick Klein's music doesn't appear on vinyl all that often. In fact, this EP for alter is his first release since a much talked about appearance on L.I.E.S back in 2016. As you'd expect, the vibe is gritty, strange and otherworldly throughout, with Klein variously turning his hand to Aphex Twin style ambient (Burning Mattresses), redlined, out-there techno (the distorted bass and alien synthesizers of Pena Adobe), bouncy revivalist EBM (dancefloor-friendly workout "Smelling The Streets") and Vatican Shadow style wild electronic soundscapes (The God in Vodka).
Review: According to their Discogs profile The Pheromoans are a six-piece experimental rock band from the South East of England who deal in deadpan DIY music. It comes courtesy of Luke Younger 's (Helm) Alter imprint, dedicated to pursuits in odd and adventurous music on the fringes. Married to the mundane yet surreal reportage of our lives, their music manages to address the truly restless boredom and absurdity of everyday life. "In Freefall" sounds like Gang Of Four style punk-funk, the spacey prog-rock of "Dont Spread It Around College". "Rodent Costume" or About to Go" is mellowed post punk vibes supporting vocalist Russell Walker's dry observational musings.
Review: The product of a week-long session in Rotterdam using vintage synths, Mnemosyne could never be described as disposable or throwaway. Indeed, after this short recording period there followed a two-year phase of 'reworking and reflection'. It's hard to say which part of the process was more effective, but irrespectively, these sessions have yielded the atmospheric, haunting "Wiccan"; the ghoulish, cemetery gate clanking of "Sybil" and the creepy, slow grind of "Prowl". Sonically located half way between a soundtrack to an imaginary horror film and dark ambient artists like Biosphere or Scorn, the album reaches its eerie zenith on the black magic drones of "Risacca".
Review: Loke Rahbek and Christian Stadsgaard's latest album as Damien Dubrovnik is all about contrasts. On one hand there's "Interior 1, Upper Lip", where droning tones and shrill, ear-piercing screeches will test even the most patient listener. "On Its Double" is also built on intensity, with dark noise, eerie tapping in the background and the tortured wails suggesting that a banshee is at the door. By contrast, the pair are also equally comfortable making jazzy, almost whimsical tracks - "Interior 3, Matching Window Blinds & Lampshade" - and expansive, atmospheric compositions like "Fingers Into Majorelle" and the building, layered title track. However, as the tortured soul who appears at the end of that track will surely attest, a sense of dread and menace is never too far away in the strange world of Damien Dubrovnik.
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