Gareth Davis - Filament

Slaapwel Records: 2016

Even in the current heat waves, I haven't had that much trouble sleeping, but I cannot deny throwing on the few Slaapwel CDs I've gathered does do the trick in a pinch. Daily commute aside, I think I've only ever completely listened through one of these once, if you want to count 'playing in the background' among the conditions. For sure they aren't intended as such, and I almost fear should I try them out as more consistent sonic background ambience, I'd nod off on whatever task I'm trying to accomplish. Like, how can I kick Persian ass as Alexander The Great in Rise Of Nations if I've conked out on my keyboard? Firing off all the hotkeys at once is a great strategy!

Gareth Davis' Filament has thus far been Slaapwel Records' latest offering ...released two years ago now. Hey, when I said the Belgian print has a 'lazy' release rate, I wasn't kidding. Mr. Davis himself is something of a journeyman musician, providing bass clarinet with several artists this past decade. Let's see if you recognize any of them, because I sure don't: Martin Stif Anderson, Daniel Biro, Machinefabriek, Elliot Sharp, Steven R. Smith, Aidan Baker, Merzbow... Okay, that's one, but wow, to work with the endless Japanese noise master, then provide a sleepy-time album in the same year, that's quite the contrast. I wonder which was recorded first, this or the Merzbow project? Filament technically came out after Atsusaku, though this was recorded in late 2011, whereas I'm almost certain Merzbow releases his stuff hours after recording. I must know which came first, the yin or the yang!

Filament is also the only time Gareth has done a solo recording (so sayeth Lord Discogs). Makes sense, as there aren't many out there who'd be down for a bass clarinet player tootin' his own horn for albums on end without something else accompanying him – at least, not outside jazz circles. Even Mr. Davis knew he couldn't just play it on his own without a little sonic wallpaper in support, so he provides field recordings of gently washing waves as a sort of rhythmic backbone to the piece. Huh, and here I thought those would have been sounds found in that other Slaapwel CD I reviewed, Seaworthy's Sleep Paths. I wonder if ocean tones might also be on The Boats' Do The Boats Dream Of Electric Fritz Pfleumer? (now that's a fun title to say out loud!)

From the opening lapping of salty brine upon rocky shores, distant sounds have me reminded of whale song, though is really Gareth's heavy clarinet tones fed through effects pedals, creating an eerie yet soothing drone. After a time the waves recede in prominence, lazy clarinet melodies and backing pad effects creating a sense of drifting among tidal pools. It's all very calm and relaxing, as intended, and at thirty-five minutes long, provides plenty of doze-off time. No, really, it's perfectly fine if you don't last the duration. It's kinda' the point.

John Beltran - Everything At Once

Delsin: 2016

John Beltran should be a more important person in the world of techno. For sure he's highly regarded and respected, a two-decade veteran of the Detroit scene that's danced with the Belgian dudes just as often. He even scored a licensing hit in Collage Of Dreams - not many Detroit producers can claim that. And whenever a new album from Mr. Beltran drops, it always earns plenty of props, kudos, and love from the techno community. For whatever reason though, he's never quite broken through the ceiling that separates the Darn Good producers from the Legendary Name-Droppers. I can only assume his frequent flirtations with the ambient techno camps isolates him from the True-Pure Detroit leagues – Motor City don't take kindly to those who pall about with them softy Belgian boys, I reckon. Pft, as if that ever stopped Juan Atkins' status after releasing material on R & S Records.

Early seminal works aside, two decades of music is daunting to dive into for the Beltran newbie, few albums sounding quite like what came before. How nice of him, then, that for his tenth outing, John went with the ol' 'career retrospective' take, Everything At Once intended as a reflection of all that he's done. Can't think of a better excuse for a 'jumping-on point' than that!

And absolutely does Beltran deliver a smorgasbord of his various musical inclinations. There's ambient! There's techno! There's ambient with techno! There's twee acoustic glitch (She Dwells In Beauty)! There's dreamy indie loop-jazz (Dream Lover!)! (!!) There's Kraftwerk homage (Tanzmuzik)! There's... um, drone-tone...? Whatever Gentle Boxes is.

So there's eclecticism on Everything At Once, and at seventeen tracks, can get a tad overlong to sit through. While I'll always champion musical diversity, there needs to be some uniting theme tying it all together for each piece to properly settle into my brain-matter. Otherwise, bloopy jazz-shuffle tracks like White Rainbows get lost among the fuzzy ambient drone of Nice Sun and mellow Aphex nods like A New Room.

It also doesn't help matters when many of the lengthier tracks are front-loaded in this album, second-cut Faux giving us over seven minutes of soft clippity-clop breaks with acoustic strums and warped, harmonizing pads. That's followed upon by the titular cut doing a jazzy groove with haunting soul singing (paging Dr. Burial, if you may), while Sine M gets back to that vintage, chill Detroit techno, and Lift works the electro-jazz 'bells-n-bleep' businesses. Bookend this opening act with two short ambient pieces, and you'd be forgiven for thinking Everything At Once nicely wraps up just a shade shorter than many breezy albums do these days.

Not that there's isn't nice music in the remaining two-thirds, but they don't imprint quite the same, tracks seemingly more about Beltran indulging himself. Which is fine, ol' John more than capable of crafting engaging pieces even at his most left-of-field tendencies. It just leaves the back-end of Everything At Once a tad wanting, 'tis all.

Andrew Heath - Europa

Disco Gecko: 2016

Y'know, I do like Andrew Heath's vibe, but even four albums worth of his minimalist ambient feels a bit overkill for my music collection. Just how many times can I take hearing his sparse piano tones, treated field recordings, and ephemeral synth harmonics before it all it starts blending into the same sonic soup. It's not really a style of songcraft that lends itself to radical experimentation. While there are different ideas and settings he can approach his compositions from, his basic texture hasn't changed that much in the four years he's released material on Banco de Gaia's label. Perhaps that's why hearing his most recent album, Soundings, open with that clickity-clack of typewriter typing was so effective at grabbing my attention – it was a sound astoundingly unique in Mr. Heath's overall sonic palette. Either that, or I find something intimately relating in hearing the sporadic striking of a querty keyboard.

Still, Europa should satisfy at least another innate tug at my soul, wanderlust. No, I mean actual wanderlust, not Wanderlust, the Andrew Heath piece with the typewriter sounds (I can't get over it!). After his first couple albums most dealt with the idyllic, pastoral vistas of the British countryside, Heath set his ears to the recalled sounds of mainland Europe, reflecting the areas he'd travelled while touring throughout old lands of Empires long passed. It definitely lends itself to a different vibe compared to The Silent Cartographer and Flux.

Andrew's music has always had a sense of journey about it, though seldom with any particular destination in mind – you can imagine slowly floating down a small creek in a tiny village as his music plays. Europa, on the other hand, has far more territory to traverse, so that same languid pace isn't quite so prominent. For sure the pieces crafted here remain as calm and soothing as anything Mr. Heath's crafted – he's quite comfortable in his lane – but in trying to capture the sprit of the different regions of his travels, it doesn't feel like we're completely taking in all that each setting offers. Some local folk music flavours in Lunz, sight-seeing unique fowl fauna in Requiem, partaking in the pleasant child activities in The Summer Boys, checking out the historical cultural achievements in Sputnik | Little Earth. So much to see, so little time to see it all in (approximately 74-80 minutes, plus another twenty if you sprung for the extra-deluxe bonus tour, er, tracks).

Which is par for the course when it comes to tourist vacations, always in a hurry to get to your next destination, being herded like cattle onto buses or monorails before the deadline, and ooh wait, there's just one extra thing I want to see, no, don't leave me behind, I don't have enough local currency for a hostel stay, wait! Er, not that I've ever had to deal with such inconveniences when sight-seeing abroad. I've heard stories though. Oh, have I heard stories.

Plaid - The Digging Remedy

Warp Records: 2016

The challenge with starting up a discography collection of long-running acts is figuring out where to start. Do you nab the agreed-upon classics first, then work your way down, with probable diminishing returns? Go in chronological order, from uncertain, interesting beginnings, through peak seminal works, then trudge through a long run of average material? Maybe go about it in an unconventional manner, say alphabetical order! But nay, most gather albums dependant upon two factors: availability and affordability. And it just so happens that the most available and the most affordable are either the newer albums, and the classics (thanks, re-issues!). Oh, and that one mid-career dog LP no one ever speaks of, found in every used shop and discount bin. Every legacy act has one of those in their catalogue.

Anyhow, Plaid, a duo I'm finally digging deeper with, as there's only so far one can go with Handley and Turner's Black Dog works. Under this moniker, they've released ten albums, two soundtracks, a couple collaborative projects, and who knows how many singles (The Lord That Knows All claims seventeen). Having only dabbled with their post-Dog music, I was stumped on which albums I should have if I want to become a Plaid fan. The fact they don't really follow conventional album traditions hasn't made things easier, most LPs looking like scatterings of whatever they're making at a given time, themes and concepts be damned. Thus I felt the blind purchase was best, gathering up whatever was most affordable and letting the London lads hit me for all they're worth, preconceived notions be damned. So if you're looking for a proper retrospective of Plaid's career, I dunno, instead ask that Wonky Angle guy to do it.

Of what I splurged on, alphabetical stipulation states I must review The Digging Remedy first, which also happens to be their most recent offering. Aw, now y'all expect me to review this in context with their greater discography, and here I am with no frame of reference.

Actually, I can say The Digging Remedy is exactly the sort of Plaid album I was expecting from a recent effort. Contemporary, but eclectic enough that it doesn't fit in any era. Lots of stylistic jumping, tunes mostly hovering around the three-to-four minute mark, a clear sense of producers comfortable with their tools and trade, showing little fear or restraint in exploring whatever sound they wish. An opener that has something of a John Carpenter vibe going for it? Sure things. CLOCK featuring big, super-stuttery chord stabs and dreamy melodies. Yeah, guy. A funky shuffle with The Bee? Shuffle away, boys. Something dubsteppy for the braindancers in Yu Mountain? I'll buy that. Treading back to techno's domain in Saladore? Let me get my robot on. A twee, acoustic ditty for a closer? No problem.

So The Digging Remedy delivered, but for thoughts on how it holds up compared to older material, check back later in the summer. Should have gotten to Not For Threes by then.

Falcon Reekon - Consecration

Werkstatt Recordings: 2016

This is ridiculous. Would it kill the Discogs community to be more thorough in its data-logging? I get that it's mind-numbing to keep track of EVERY. SINGLE. digital release, and there honestly should be a little quality control - Soundcloud demos and giveaways need not apply. But if the Discoggian community allows DJ tapes and exclusive white labels into the archives, surely items that have an actual price tag attached to them are worthy as well. A mere half-dozen souls may buy a $2 track, but that legitimizes Bandcamp releases far more than some of the rubbish I've come across in the utter recesses of CDr-Land.

What I'm getting at is, despite only two albums appearing in Falcon Reekon's Discoggian profile, his Bandcamp provides plenty more: an additional five albums, a single track release, plus a compilation of old material. Why hasn't anyone entered these as well? Is it because they're self-released, and not tied to an actual label like Werkstatt Recordings? That don't fly, 'cause I've seen oodles of 'self-released' entries throughout Discogs too, especially from the ambient camps. Is it because synthwave remains a rather niche interest, so young that dedicated chroniclers of the genre's releases are scarce? It sure ain't like a decade ago, when every micro-genre would have a three-dozen blogs sharing the same few singles at a time. Not that I've gone out of my way to discover otherwise, but I do wonder if I'm one of the few folks out there even giving labels like Werkstatt any attention at all. I did not ask for this burden, but if such is my fate, then so be it.

Falcon Reekon is... um, Falcon Reekon, from France. Of course Lord Discogs has no other information on him, although neither does his Bandcamp. His Soundcloud adds where the name comes from ('80s inspired, naturally), but no details regarding actual name and the like. Proper anonymous action. For a chap with nine albums under his belt, you'd think he'd (it is 'he', right?) be a little more up on the promotional game. What would I know about that though, the very antithesis of self-hype?

Consecration is Falcon Reekon's second album with Werkstatt, and is about as typical and classy a synthwave album as it gets. Not a bad thing if you're still vibing on the stuff, as I am, but if the likes of Perturbator haven't convinced you of the genre, there's little chance this album will either. A few 'outrun' styled tunes aside (Live Chase, Outrunners Wiz Attitude, Overnight), Consecration is also some of the most chill synthwave I've come across, without ever sliding into sappy synth-pop. It almost sounds like synthwave inspired by house and disco than anything strictly ripped from the '80s. A deeper vibe, if you will, suitable for late night cruises on the boulevard rather than tearing through neon-soaked roads. Why, I'd almost be willing to call it 'deep-wave', but don't let the Bandcamp Tagging Consortium know – tags are abused enough as it is.

Legiac - The Voynich Manuscript

Dronarivm: 2016

Hey, it's another Dronarivm release. Remember when I went through a bunch of these at the start of this months-long alphabetical backlog? My how time flies. Been nearly one-hundred reviews written since the last item from this label, and the fact I'm still not through yet sends my mind to the lands of Bogglin. Heck, this marks the fifth 'V' album in this batch, which increased my total 'V' albums by 30%! Can you just imagine how many 'W's there are? (spoiler: not many)

There hasn't been much released under the name Legiac, but the players involved have definitely been busy bodies. Dutch brothers Don and Roel Funcken started out doing glitchy braindance, IDM, and electro under a number of aliases, most prominent being Funckarma, Cane, and Mystery Artist. They got a look-in with Very Important IDM labels like Warp and Skam, but never broke out of obscurity in any significant way. The other player involved in Legiac is Cor Bolten, who Lord Discogs tells me was active with new wave bands since the early '80s, whilst doing film score work on the side.

Seems like an unlikely pairing with these folks, but somewhere along the way, they did team up. First it was doing experimental stuff as Cor Bolten, Don Funcken & Roel Funcken, then doing downtempo, abstract stuff as Dif:use, and finally IDM leaning material as Legiac. That one looked to be a one-off effort, and a final one, the individual parties going their separate ways again. A few years ago though, Roel and Cor dusted Legiac off, The Voynich Manuscript their second album under the revitalized project. Yo', where Don in all this?

When I first dove into this album, I wasn't expecting something as melodic as we get here. True, I didn't have any prior musical knowledge of Misters Funcken and Bolten, just my preconceived notions based on what Dronarivm works I have taken in. And for sure there's ample amounts of droning ambience and blanketing field recordings present, but often used in a subtler, graceful manner than most other works in this vein. There's space and depth in these layers of sound, with melodic tones at the fore, but never so prominent they drown out the burbling static and white noise lurking underneath. What's remarkable is the chaotic sub-surface of sound is so consistent throughout this album, whenever it does recede, it not only makes the melodic leads leap out, you also feel that absence as though you've lost a chunk of your soul. Or maybe it's just like that in the final piece Ambikythera Mechanism, what with opulent organ tones driving things forward.

It really is a gorgeous composition, and many of the early tracks in The Voynich Manuscript are darn lovely as well. However, there's also a lengthy stretch towards the back-half that kinda' dithers about with wallpaper sonic doodles and experimental drone. They're fine in their own right, but compared to the highs this album hits, kinda' forgettable too. So it goes.

Suduaya - Venus

Altar Records: 2016

Again! Again and again and again! I mean, I had a good hunch this would turn out another winner, the Suduaya tunes on various Altar compilations consistently some of the best. Actually diving into his albums though, I wasn't terribly sold just on looks alone. Dreaming Sun and Unity had the sort of New Agey artwork that gives Altar a reputation of being on the cheesy side of psy-chill, though anyone that's taken in a good chunk of the label's output would know such a rep' is bollocks. Not that I should cast stones here, the artwork most definitely a factor in which album's I'll impulsively spring for whenever I dive in for a mini-splurge. If I must choose between mystical mumbo-jumbo or sci-fi star systems, the space stuff is gonna' win out every time. This Venus though, that's equally a reference to planets and goddesses, plus there's an alien hiding in this one's cover art. Guess it won't hurt to finally scope out some Suduaya proper-like.

And the first thing I'm struck by is how much Mr. Roquefere is stylistically influenced from Asura, at least in regards to the opening track. This is actually a remix of the tune Universalis by Astronaut Ape, a track that only appeared on a 2012 digital compilation called Everything Is Possible from smallish Russian label Trimurti Records – obscure, in other words. The original is more downtempo, with light arps and spritely melodies, a pleasant little ditty in its own right. Suduaya basically adds those slow, throbbing prog-psy rhythms in his remix, an aesthetic that Asura practically made his own, though obviously not exclusive to him. Still, if you're gonna' ape the sound of any prog-psy producer, Asura's not a bad source to crib from.

The next bundle of tracks stick to the slo-psy side of things, but doesn't come off chill nor dub in the process. It really is prog-psy at a lower BPM, but with things moving at such a languid pace, it give Suduaya plenty of space in creating ridiculously catchy, groovy basslines. I'd expect these from the psy-dub camps, but these tunes aren't especially dubby in their production. Well, maybe Catalan Wind, in that things get all glitchy-trippy with vocal effects, even breaking out a freakin' brisk 2-step rhythm for a while. Mang', when did Altar start getting hip to the glitch-kidz stylee?

The back-half of Venus ups the pace into your standard prog-psy territory, and Suduaya maintains Altar's high batting average for the most part. Diamond Dust with Cydelix brings some acid action with spacious spritely sounds, Lampyris adds some ethnic vocals, The Muse does that Asura-throb again, Knots Of Eternity features nifty little skippy sounds on the low-end, and Baku goes straight for the floating sunrise morning feels. Or, as I like to call it, prog-psy done right, and Suduaya, he do prog-psy done right. Maybe not changing the game or the like, but every quality scene needs its steadying presences keeping that bar high.

36 - Seconds & Forever

3six Recordings: 2016

I've settled upon a New Year's Resolution: don't be so anal about buying MP3s anymore. I really can't justify being against it as in years past. There's a lot of wonderful music out there, but without ample funds behind it, a great deal of it simply isn't viable in the physical medium, often limited to small, collector runs at best. And when some of those runs stick to the vinyl option – a medium I must resist because I know it will financially ruin me – I've effectively and stubbornly cut myself off for decade-old petty reasons. Well, enough of that, I say. Bandcamp has provided me with an outlet I feel comfortable paying monies for musiks with – direct compensation to artists. And while I'll hold out as long as possible for CD options, I shouldn't feel beholden to it either when the high-quality MP3 is right there at a cheaper price too. Obviously I'm not gonna' go on a spending spree of MP3s now, but should a discount offer pop up for an item I know I'll never buy in physical (sold out, wrong format, etc.), well, sure, why not, eh?

Okay. Let's now dig into this mini-album from 36, a vinyl release which I bought as a high-quality MP3 from his Bandcamp because there was a discount code available. I'm so easy...

Really, of the short list of artists I'd be willing to take this route, Dennis Huddleston's 36 project is near the top, especially since he self-releases so much material. Seconds & Forever, though, appears to be one of the few items he's put out on a separate label. That same year, he released The Infinity Room on the semi-popular label-blog A Strangely Isolated Place, but Mystic & Quantum is a regular ol' print running out of Spain. They're relatively new, only a handful of records in their catalogue, but have LPs from the likes of DMX Krew and VHS Glitch to their name. 36 is an odd addition, his ambient nothing like the synthy electro and techno Mystic & Quantum peddle in. Why, if you tilt your ears in just the right direction when playing back Seconds & Forever, you'll hear the sounds of worlds colliding.

As for the music, yeah, it's more ambient from 36. Consisting to two eighteen minute pieces (one for each side of the record, 'natch), Part 1 takes a little to build. As it gradually emerges from the lowest registers of human hearing, however, you can tell it's gonna' be another lovely, pleasant, heart-warming composition of layered pads. I initially had shades of Vangelis' Creation du Monde when first hearing this, though 36's dense timbre soon puts that comparison to rest. Part 2 goes in an opposite direction from Part 1, a subdued and sombre melody maintaining a general through-line, as additional layers of strings come and go. Overall more calm and gentle, letting you drift into melancholy thought. Works best while gazing through winter windows.

Sine Silex - Schachmatt

Werkstatt Recordings: 2016

Anna Michailidou must be the hardest working madame in underground coldwave synth-pop right now. Right, that's an incredibly micro-niche avenue to take residence in, but since diving into Werkstatt Records' catalogue, I've continuously seen her name crop up. Already a member of Resistance Of Independent Music and Paradox Obscur, she's also taken up a solo career as Kriistal Ann, and has added her gothic croon to many other synthwave acts out there, a feature on GosT's Non Paradisi perhaps her greatest exposure yet.

Another is a three-piece act called Factice Factory. These chaps from France and the Alps mostly stick to a strict diet of minimalist coldwave, so Ms. Ann's voice was a natural fit with their aesthetic. Guess Anna liked working with lead singer François Ducarn enough such that they formed their own minimalist synth-pop duo called Sine Silex, a change of pace from the heavier, EBM-leaning sound she typically makes with Toxic Razor.

For some stupid reason, the first duo I drew comparisons with was Miss Kittin & The Hacker. While both make use of a stripped-down synth-pop sound heavily influenced from the early '80s, that's where the similarities end. For one, Mr. Ducarn sings, and Mr. Hacker never uttered a word. Also, while you could say both groups' lyrics carry a certain detachment to them, MK&tH did so in a deadpan, cynical way. I get no such irony from Sine Silex, François and Kriistal performing their music as straight-faced as this can get. I mean, such minimalist music works best when the performers are stripped of emotion as well, but those electroclash sorts always kept a wink and a wry smile while doing so. This are serious cold-synth pop-wave, yo'.

Actually, I'm not sure just how serious Sine Silex are being half the time, on account François and Kriistal don't sing in English all the time, sometimes going French, and perhaps other Euro languages I'm too dumb to detect. For that matter, Ms. Ann's accent is so thick that I don't always understand her anglophone lyrics either. Not that I'm complaining, her gothic voice such a unique attribute among so many synth-poppers, that their content isn't as much a selling point as their delivery. Besides, it's kinda' funny hearing her on bouncier tunes like Operative and Modeliste (a requisite nod to Kraftwerk's The Model) when so much of her work oozes the black phantasmic.

Most of the tunes on Schachmatt play to her strengths though, even if her vocals have more a supporting role to François' lead. There's the slower, melodramatic songs (Antidote, L'Embrun), the brisk EBM-leaning cuts (Ether, Six To Twenty Seconds, Nénuphar), plus tracks that indulge the desolate goth-pop that's right up Kriistal's cobble-stone pathway (Les Nimbes, Rifle, L'Amnésie). It's also all very simple music, only a few synthesizers and sequencers running at a given time. You'd have to be a dedicated fan of this sound to enjoy it, but I find it strangely alluring, like walking a digitized path through an abyssal plain.

Various - Reflections Of The Southern Moon

Werkstatt Recordings: 2016

For these holidays, I've returned to the wintery Canadian hinterlands from whence I was once lived. Have family thereabouts, see, but regular work obligations generally don't afford me enough time to take such an expedition into the British Columbian mountains for Xmas shenanigans. Not this year though, time and circumstance affording me enough of a window to make the trek into the snow-cast Okanagan domain for a little family cheer. And though it's been a decade since my last winter sojourn to these high terrains, being back reminds me why I escaped my former exile – it's friggin' cold out here! The first winter I spent in this region many years ago was also my first experience with frostbite, and now, when I stepped outside for a morning stroll, regretting that I forgot my long john's, the whiskers on my face instantly frosting over, it all comes rushing back. I know my West Coast pampered lifestyle has pussified my adaptability to such radical changes in climate, but geez'it, Canadian hinterlands, you needn't remind me of that so viciously!

Thus, what better setting I've set upon myself to review a collection of dark/cold/gothic wave music from Werkstatt Recordings. Titled Reflections Of The Southern Moon, it's a sampler of artists the Greek label has on their roster, some with them since their earliest days. In fact, the duo Resistance Of Independent Music accounted for the bulk of Werkstatt's initial output. They would expand from those gothy sounds into more synth-pop/EBM territory as Paradox Obscur, while also doing solo work as Kriistal Ann and Toxic Razor (who'd also release material as Beatbox Machinery).

Between them, they account for six of the fourteen tracks on this compilation, but seeing as how their material's been integral to Werkstatt's early success, it's seems appropriate they get the lion's share. And hey, provides me with a nice bluffer's guide, as I know very little about the underground side of contemporary darkwave musicians. Oh, you know there's a huge, robust scene of this stuff burbling and churning in the dark recesses of clubland.

So Resistance Of Independent Music do the coldwave thing, Paradox Obscur do the slinky EBM thing, and Kriistal Ann does her operatic synth-pop thing, but what of the rest in this collection? Obsidian Radioactive opts to show two faces of his muse (both under gasmasks), The Fall Of Mankind a simple synth-string instrumental, Gasmasks And Titanium Scaffolds a bruising industrial outing. Dawnrazor, meanwhile, sounds like the sort of coldwave written in hopes of getting noticed by sempei vampires. I mean, even beyond the melodramatic vocals, you also get titles like Rulers Of This World and The Uncountable Callings Of Gothic Crowns. Geometry Combat's more fun, getting in on that EBM action, but still just as overwrought as darkwave can get. Finally, Metal Disco reminds us it's alright to move your electric body to this music if the tunes are funky enough. Well, as funky as music whiter than the pale moonlight can get.

GosT - Non Paradisi

Blood Music: 2016

Looks like GosT's found a synthwave lane he can rightfully claim as his own: the Christian Hellscape. Yeah, he's already been parading about with anti-Christ iconography (or is just a hardcore fan of Saint Peter), but with his latest album of Non Paradisi, he's taken things even further. The title's already a fancy Latin way of saying Hell (or 'non Paradise', I guess), with plenty of track titles indulging such imagery further. Lake Of Fire, Maleficarum, Unum Infernum, to say nothing of an inlay containing paintings of lava rivers, falling angels, pentagrams, and extended words going over Lucifer's manifesto. And that's just the standard digipak - makes me wish I'd gotten me one of those ultra-deluxe versions with the twenty-eight page booklet. It's almost insane the lengths Blood Music goes to in providing collector's items, and you just know they were totally down for going to bat with GosT's Satanist stuff. Ties with their death metal material quite nicely.

So like the label's other James (Perturbator), James Loller's has himself a strong gimmick and identifiable visual aesthetic. Still hasn't fully committed himself to album narratives though, but that's fine – not every synthwave producer is obligated to do as such. A lot of them do it because they're inspired by soundtracks of the '80s, music telling stories as much as lodging earwormy themes into your noggin'. By track titles alone, you can discern an apocalyptic tale of fallen angels followed by unholy revolt and retribution from Non Paradisi, but the music isn't terribly explicit in detailing such events. Still, no blatant 'club choons' either, so evolution?

Opener Commencement kicks things off about as you'd expect GosT to, with abrasive, crunchy synths, screaming leads, operatic flourishes, and rockin' rhythms. Nascency eases up a little on the brickwall aural assault, making use of those choir pads that get my vintage German trance triggers flaring. Aggrandizement eases off the throttle for a sludgy, gothy dark-pop outing featuring lyrics from *snicker* Bitchcraft. Seems to be playing the standard synthwave album sequence to a tee.

In that regard, Non Paradisi doesn't offer much in surprises, but GosT throws in enough unique ideas every track to keep you engaged. Lake Of Fire unleashes synth leads that sound absolutely terrified of its Hellscape surroundings. Supreme with returning Hayley Stewart makes use of charming bell-tones that has me thinking classic 'bleep' techno; boy, there's a lot of early rave sounds here. Elsewhere, 4th gets in some slap-bass action, while Arise brings in Werkstatt Records alum Kriistal Ann for some proper goth melodrama.

The final run of songs pretty much brings everything prior to a head, ramping up the intensity from track to track, for a gritty, calamitous climax. I honestly feel it peaks too early though, Unum Infernum almost tricking you into thinking we've come to a bouncy, cheery denouement before unleashing another operatic Hellbeast on your ears. Doesn't leave final cut I Am Abaddon with much room to go after.

Vortex - Moloch

Cyclic Law: 2016

It's difficult wading through these bleak, murky dark ambient shores, many upon many labels having sprung up this past decade offering grim, morbid, desolate sound-spaces for our troubled times. Like, I doubt the '50s had as much depressive music to offer (lots of weird 'art' noises though). Still, I've name-dropped Cyclic Law a few times, the Montreal/Berlin label having shared some talent with Cryo Chamber, most notably Kammarheit (Cities Last Broadcast) and Apócrýphos. Where's the fun in digging into another label for familiar musicians though? Nay, let's unearth some new cats! There, that album with the neat cityscape cover art. Ooh, a lovely photo booklet is included. Gotta' love those juxtaposed pictures of Manhattan decadence and decay.

Vortex (26) is the side-project of Marcus Stiglegger, who first made his mark in musicdom with :Golgatha:. Lord Discogs lists the group as “German apocalyptic and ritual folkband”, an apt descriptor for a lot of dark ambient. They had some minor success, even releasing a couple albums on Cold Meat Industry, but have been quiet most of this decade. Seems Vortex has taken Mr. Stiglegger's attention now, Moloch his fifth album under the project.

The concept of this album is simple enough: Marcus strolled through the Burroughs, and found himself inspired by what he saw, especially the neighbourhoods everyone so vividly remembers from '70s sleaze masterpieces. He had a sense that the City itself was a deity demanding soul-crushing sacrifice to exist within its realm, perverting your humanity just to make ends meet in an unforgiving clime'. Having lived in a City for a while now, I know the feeling - Vancouver's a cruel mistress sometimes, who'll chew you up and spit you out into the harbour if you don't know what you're doing.

As a dark ambient album, Moloch hits most of the standard points for a concept such as this. Rounding up about a half-dozen keyboardists, electric guitarists, and his own additional treatments (percussion, voices, ...flute?), Mr. Stiglegger coerces an industrial score for wandering a twisted vista. Opener City Of Steel sets the tone with abrasive drones before emerging with a gritty, orchestral dirge filled with distortion, as though marching through dead, urban squalor. Towers Of Glass breathes menacing drones while gentle synth tones offer a tranquil respite from the horrors surrounding you, but even these are eventually subsumed by the ever-present murk.

Most tracks play out in similar fashion – drones painting inhospitable pictures of urban existence, but Skyline stands in stark contrast to everything else. Even if the opening piano is unsettling, it's still more melodic than most of Moloch's been. It soon fades though, an omnipresent drone lulling you into a strange comfort of being, before a vicious guitar squall erupts, like a feral beast from the shadows - yet even that eventually takes on a comforting familiarity. Not those harsh, clanking noises at the end though, bursting forth out of nowhere, knocking even the beast back to its shadows. There's always a bigger tower in the City.

Paleowolf - Genesis

Cryo Chamber: 2016

Holy cow, what are the odds of this happening? Yeah, I've come across a couple instances of it in this endless excursion through my music collection. Eurythmics and Michael Mayer both had LPs called Touch, Moby and Märtini Brös have albums called Play, and Labyrinth is shared by both Juno Reactor and the Namlook-Montanà collaborations (teaser!). It hasn't come up often though, which is interesting in of itself. Either my 1300+ sample size isn't large enough to draw conclusions, or musicians are more creative with their album titles than I thought. Still, that doesn't dissuade the astounding fact that, within the very small sample size of 'Sykonee's 2017 Summer Purchases', I ended up with two albums titled Genesis. There's even a tribal vibe between the two, but the similarities end there.

Paleowolf is another dark ambient prospect called up from the farm leagues for a Cryo Chamber tryout. Heh, not really – it's actually a side-project from one Scorpio V, who made a couple critically-hailed albums for Cryo Chamber as Metatron Omega. That one leans into the ritualistic side of the genre, and Paleowolf does as well, though with a significant primeval bent. We're well before any human civilization, folks, times about as tribal as we've ever been. Not even a series of ravaged ruins to explore in this primitive setting – mankind probably hasn't even figured out how to make a fur hut yet!

The Paleowolf project is four albums deep now (ooh, that Megafauna Rituals has nifty artwork!), first appearing on Echoes Of Koliba Productions with Primordial. Genesis is his second album, adding Cryo Chamber one more sub-micro genre of dark ambient to its ever-expanding canvas. Gotta' fill all the niches, amirite?

Actually, the trick worked, as I cannot deny being at least curious about this stuff. How it relates to other forms of dark ambient? What sort of sounds might creep in when the genre has a heavy reliance of twisting recognizable field recordings into perverse parodies? Whether Cryo Chamber's record of 'cinematic drone' would translate well in a primordial realm, placing me among hunter-gatherers as we prepare for fire rituals, mammoth slaying, and cave bear evading. Oh, of course the latter would be the case!

So you get lots of tribal drumming throughout Genesis, some placing you in the thick of things, others echoing off distant valley mountains obscured by Ice Age fog. Plenty of deep-throated, meditating chants too, with an additional war chant for Hunter II. Some compositions use primitive instruments, like horns in Archaic Eon, and a didgeridoo in Eastern Tribes. And yes, a couple electronic sounds crop up as well, mostly in the form of droning tones, treated effects to voice chants, and subtle melodic touches from synth-pads. Still, they don't distract from the overall feeling of hanging out with neolithic peoples, eating charred Megaloceros meat, and wondering whether death will come from a sabre-cat attack, a competing tribe from over the mountain, or that strange wall of ice inching closer every day.

Dag Rosenqvist - Elephant

Dronarivm: 2016

As I trawl through Dronarivm albums, one thing's become clear to me: they don't really have a set roster of artists to their name. Rather, they welcome many a journeyman (and journeywoman) for a release or two, most of which already have extensive discographies behind them. Not that Dronarivm can help it, the Moscow print being in existence for a mere half-decade at this point. Either their A&R are quite efficient in bringing in veteran talent, or they quickly established a rep that made all these abstract ambient, drone-classical dudes and dudettes eager to contribute to the Dronarivm catalogue. Fair play I say, since the label's introduced me to a ton of musicians that I'd never have stumbled upon otherwise.

Maybe this Dag Rosenqvist though, as he's got quite the history in music making. His career started out as Jasper TX, releasing albums throughout the mid-'00s that leaned towards the post-rock side of things. As time went on, his guitar strums grew more abstract and droning, which has acts like Fennesz and Tim Hecker popping up in Lord Discogs' Recommendations algorithms. During this period he collaborated with other musicians under his own name, and when he retired the Jasper TX project in 2011, carried on making music as such. And he's played a part in other assorted groups like From The Mouth Of The Sun and The Silent Set. With over thirty albums to his name, the amount of labels he's appeared on is extensive, with almost none drawing recollection in my eyes (ooh, waz' this Slaapwel Records?). Just how many post-rock, ambient fuzz prints even exist?

So obviously ol' Dag has made more music than I can reasonably take in to give this here Elephant perspective among his works. From what I can glean, it touches upon many facets of his muse, tying everything together under a pseudo-narrative of dealing with tumultuous emotions long after we're told to have moved on from them. Gentle, quiet passages are interrupted with brutal distortion (oh God, does Porcelain ever do this). Touching piano leitmotifs lead to mournful reflections with horns and cellos. Tension is built through muted percussion and twitchy drone, erupting in abrasive climaxes that, even after knowing they're coming, still throws me off with dread anticipation. Throughout it all, Elephant almost cruelly teases, tugs, and toys with your senses, and I have no doubt this album captures a rather bad day for those suffering from crippling anxiety, even while doing something as simple as “out grocery shopping” or “when you ride your bike to work”, as Dag puts it. (he apparently went through some difficult times himself).

The album all plays out like a soundtrack to an intense, psychological drama, scored by an unrestrained Hans Zimmer (he loves tense builds and overbearing crescendos). The track Come Silence even has a little noir feel going for it. It's also nothing I expected from an album called Elephant, but then this little Dronarivm excursion's been chock-full of surprises. What's one more?

Aythar - Dream Of Stars

...txt: 2016

When you think about it, Aythar kinda' came outta' nowhere. Sure, there were a couple teaser tracks on Carpe Sonum's digital-only compilations, and Mr. Tamás' had been self-releasing his music for a while by then. Getting noticed in an overstuffed ambient scene is hard work though, many upon many budding producers flooding the market with their own take on noodly, calming synth pad drone works. It's almost a necessity having some label backing if you're gonna' rise above everyone else – even a compilation spot is enough in getting one's foot in that door.

Think about how many obscure acts contributed to Die Welt Ist Klang, some of which having never released official music before, that found themselves with material on a print with a little more prominence after. And man, Aythar didn't even have that going for him, which is surprising considering he was active when it came out. Maybe he sent in a contribution, but didn't make the cut? Carpe Sonum admitted they had to pare things down some to keep it at a 'minimum' of eight CDs. I suppose a proper album on the label's a nice consolation prize.

As always, Carpe Sonum never has an act they won't share with ...txt (and vice-versa). Aythar would release a new album on Lee Norris' print in due time, but as a primer to Mr. Tamás' work, a compilation of older music was released, Dream Of Stars. That's... actually quite remarkable. Usually one has to build up a little rep' on a label before they start re-issuing back-catalogue, get that hype going so new listeners might have more interest in an extended discography. I mean, what if this new act doesn't connect with the audience? Not that Aythar was in any danger of that, nosiree. It's just a curious road he's taken in getting to this point.

That all said, Norris had a bevy of material to gather from in forming Dream Of Stars. Four of Aythar's self-released albums are presented in this compilation: Cosmic Resonance (2010), A Few Light Years Away, Universe (both 2011), and The Flower Of Space (2015). Nine tracks may not seem a lot in offering an introduction-retrospective, but it does provide a tasty summation of the Aythar stylee up to that point. A Few Light Years Away gets the largest showcase, four tracks making their way in, including the titular tune of both that and this release. There is a distinct similarity between all four, with spacey pads flowing about, though Light Years works in an additional melodic lead, while Dream Of Stars gets more New Agey in its early portions before settling into chipper arps for its finish.

Something Depth and The Flower Of Space (both from the same album) also edge closer to New Age's domain, while two offerings from Universe get that Berlin-School vibe going for them. And as for Cosmic Resonance Pt. 4, well, it's no wonder Fax+ followers have taken a major notice of Aythar's music now.

Canned Resistor - Cyberdrive BTA-MX85

Werkstatt Recordings: 2016

You'd think having a hardcopy release backed by an established label would generate background info I can dig through, but I'm getting a total blank on this Canned Resistor chap, not even a name. Cyberdrive BTA-MX85 is his lone entry within Lord Discogs' archives, the Bandcamp page offers nothing in PR blurbs, and Last.fm comes up empty. There is a Facebook page that looks to have been set up in promotion for this album, but no biographical content. Well, except a relatively recent disgruntled post regarding dissatisfaction with his association with Werkstatt Recordings, and their lack of promotion behind Cyberdrive BTA-MX85.

Hey, not everyone can be Blood Music, rolling out the multi-vinyl options and whatnot. I imagine it's tough getting noticed in this synthwave scene though, entry level easy but craftsmanship and skill drowning in the swamp of amateur releases. Looks like even getting label backing sometimes isn't enough. Heck, I only discovered Cyberdrive BTA-MX85 because I was browsing through Werkstatt's Bandcamp, clicking on whatever cover art caught my eye. The fact Canned Resistor had enough of an ear-hooking sound for a purchase actually leaves me a bit gutted that his label problems won't see a follow-up anytime soon (if at all).

So this is a synthwave album, and really, it doesn't do much different from what I look for in such items. It's got the pulse-pounding 'outrun' tunes for your openers (Los Angeles 20XX, Neon Justice), a couple charming synth-pop ditties after that (Paradise, Dreamworld), the odd-ball tune that stands in stark contrast to its surroundings (Virtual Reality), another hype tune for a climax (Neon Vengeance), and the slower, downtempo cut as a closer (A New Dawn). But wait, don't forget that extra bonus hidden stinger uptempo cut at the end of A New Dawn! Almost feels like a teaser to a sequel that we may not get anymore. Oh yeah, Cyberdrive BTA-MX85 has a slight narrative going on – the usual post-cyberpunk thing – though isn't all that overt about it. Just something fun to hang the music off if that's your jam.

I can't say Canned Resistor's approach to synthwave will knock your Adidas off either, a little rougher and unpolished compared to the top-dogs of this scene. His melodies are catchy though, enough such that folks passing my listening sphere can't help but take notice (earned a couple “what's this?” inquiries at work). Virtual Reality has a seriously awesome vocal hook that EBM sorts could enjoy, and that's so weird, considering the previous Dreamworld is such a bouncy, light, heart-warming tune. Such diversity in songcraft shows Canned Resistor has a major leg up on most synthwave acts.

Really, the only significant fault I can levy on Cyberdrive BTA-MX85 is it's only seven tracks long (eight if you include the secret song). It comes off as a delicious appetizer, leaving me craving a full-course meal. That's more a regret than a criticism though, especially if this is all we're gonna' get from Canned Resistor.

The Orb - COW / Chill Out, World!

Kompakt: 2016

Can we retire the talking point that every new album from The Orb is their best since [last best '90s album]? Like, obviously it is so, the group on a pretty good run of music making this past decade. We get that it looked as though they were done following [last worst '00s album], that they had nothing left to say or innovation to contribute. Seems though, that with every new LP they come out with, it's the same ol' praises of 'return to form'. How can they keep returning to form when they've been doing it for so long now?

This has been going on since, what, Metallic Spheres with David Gilmour? I'd say even The Dream was pretty good, thanks in large part to Youth's contributions, but I can understand why others wouldn't enjoy it as much as more recent efforts like Moonbuilding and The Orbserver In The Stars. What I'm getting at is we should be talking about The Orb's music as it relates to this current era, and not so much back-tracking to the early stuff. The classics will always be there, but they've enough modern material to judge it within their current phase/renaissance alone, so let's go forward with that, alright? Alright. That all said, COW / Chill Out, World! is probably The Orb's best collection of ambient dub since [last best '90s album].

Sorry, couldn't resist. It can't be helped though, what with the album title almost a direct callback to the O.G. chill out album, Chill Out from The KLF. There's even a cheeky nod to The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu, with the final track titled The 10 Sultans Of Rudyard (Moo-Moo Mix). One could even argue this is a long, long, long awaited follow-up to Chill Out, in that COW indulges in that LP-length musical journey of samples, sounds, feelings and vibes. It's less about songs and dancefloor tools, and more about the blissful trip through pastoral scenery and fuzzy imagery.

Actually, what this album really sounds like is another record where Martin Glover is the driving force behind its musical direction. There's ample amounts of trippy dub production throughout, enveloping walls of reverb drone wrapping you in a warm blanket of sound, with no scratchy sample of ancient jazz, twangy guitar, or jungle fauna too divergent a path to take. Not that piano playing in Wireless MK2 and 9 Elms Over River Eno though, that's straight from the fingers of Roger Eno. I don't know what I find more astonishing: the fact that an Eno is playing with The Orb, or that it's taken this long for it to happen. Brian and Roger have appeared on plenty of compilations with The Orb, but is this really the first time either one has collaborated with Alex Paterson? The mind boggles.

COW / Chill Out, World! should definitively put to rest that The Orb are still as good as they've ever been. New narratives now, music journals!

The Oak Ridge Boys - Celebrate Christmas

Gaither Music Group: 2016

Greetings, Past-Peoples, 2073 Sykonee once again here. Ah, Christmas, I remember it well. The lights, the snow, the merriment, the togetherness. All that, now gone, gone, gone. Lost in a horrible post-apocalyptic Hellscape.

Haha, no, I'm kidding. Of course Christmas still exists in my time. The yearly celebration has endured in some form for hundreds of years, whether as paganistic rituals in honour of the winter solstice, religious rituals in honour of Jesus Christ's birth, or capitalist rituals in honour of defeating Communism. You don't wipe out that much Northern tradition just like that, no matter how much some over-reaching powers may try.

The Atomic Brotherhood understands this, and accepts that we'll find ways to celebrate Christmas in our own, unique ways. Sure, the longer winters have made the pagan history of the holiday redundant, we don't have much need of Christ worship here (that's more a Murican thing anyway), and the wanton need to consume things and stuff in service of a financial war doesn't apply to our way of life. Much of what we need is supplied by the Atomic Brotherhood, and since we don't need a whole lot, Christmas is all about togetherness, bringing everyone underneath a merry dwelling to celebrate that which we most cherish among each other, all under the glowing light of a nuclear powered pine tree. Yes, we still have pine trees. They're sturdy plants, y'know.

Which makes these Christmas albums from The Oak Ridge Boys a weird item to cover for yours truly. Heck, you probably think its weird that we'd all enjoy the country-gospel group at all, but their charming harmonies appeal to more of us than you'd believe. Not to mention relating to their ever-lasting durability as a group. Some theorize The Oak Ridge Boys have lasted so long thanks to the same radioactive alteration that gave us our extended lives. I can believe it.

But regarding their Christmas material – and there's a lot of it - we're ambivalent about it. We understand this stuff likely had more importance to their original fans back in your times, but we listen to it with historical perspective, as a reflection of a culture now lost. All these celebratory odes to the birth of Christ (Away In A Manger, Joy To The World, Come To The Manger, O Come, All Ye Faithful, Rest In You Tonight) had their place, I'm sure. However, when you play them in front of the Red Belters, a strange, maniacal frenzy seems to overtake them. Puts Cascadians at unease, you see, so it's only selective broadcasts, thank you.

So it's to the secular songs that we turn to more often. I'll Be Home For Christmas, Blue Christmas, Santa Claus Is Real, There's Nothing Between Us (But Love Anymore)... even Jingle Bells, I guess. Yeah, that ridiculous song's survived this long, somehow. The Oak Ridge Boys do all these classics justice in their indomitable, harmonious way. Still no Boney M, though.

Autumn Of Communion - Broken Apart By Echoes

...txt: 2016/2017

The Broken Apart series marked a change of direction for the boys behind Autumn Of Communion (Lee Norris and Mick Chillage, if you're just joining us). After a fruitful run of self-titled albums, the duo consolidated them into a memory stick box-set (mini-box!) as a summation of that period of work. Not that they were done working together, new material still being released at a steady pace after. Can't say I've heard much of it yet, but ooh, what I wouldn't give to nab a CD copy of Polydeuces. Say, 15% above regular retail?

Still, even if the creative embers between the two remained nice and toasty, there had to be an itch to try something unique. What else was there though? They'd both released music on CD and digital, had taken the move into box-sets, and everyone goes the vinyl or tape route as a collectible option (as if ...txt CDs weren't 'collectible' enough). Maybe try their hand at an ultra-deluxe DVD 5.1 recording, or go stupidly obscure with 8-tracks? Instead, they opted for the neglected CD3, otherwise known as the mini-disc. I'm surprised there's even still a market for them, but the computer I built this year still has the familiar indent in its disc tray, so I guess there is.

Thus it came to pass that the next major Autumn Of Communion project would focus on utilizing this format. Two sets would be produced, consisting of five individual tracks running the full twenty-two minute length of five mini-discs, contained within a box-set apiece. Naturally, I totally missed the boat on Broken Apart By Sunlight and Broken Apart By Moonlight, but hey, Lee & Mick had a few leftover tracks that ended up on one of ...txt's Nagual mega-compilation memory sticks. That wouldn't do for AoC completists though, an even extremely limited amount of Nagual sticks produced. So, the two tracks were released separately as Broken Apart By Echoes, first as a digital download, then on CD with an additional track. *whew* I think that finally brings us up to speed on this project. How many words left do I offer myself for the actual music then? Oh dear...

Broken Apart By Echoes Pt. 1 does the grand, wall-of-sound synth ambient drone thing, gently fading off in the back third into something a tad less opulent sounding. There's also a twitchy, oscillating transistor tone running throughout most of the track. Pt. 2 is a calmer, soothing piece of ambience compared to the former track, a little astro-chatter sprinkled in here and there among the gentle tones and blissy melodies. Pressure your planetarium DJ to play this one at some point. Pt. 3 brings the dubby ambient techno beats for half its runtime, then moving onto more conventional space ambient stylee for a lengthy lead-out. Think I like this one best, just because there's more going on in it than the other two. All are solid offerings though, as can be expected from Autumn Of Communion at this point.

Cyril Secq & Orla Wren - Branches

Dronarivm: 2016

Can't say I've ever taken in an album of classical guitar music. Have I even dabbled? The closest I can think of is Michael Brook, but his Cobalt Blue was more an ambient thing, his guitar work another layer of timbre (especially that sweet 'Infinite Guitar' layer!). I must have a couple stray examples of the stuff lurking in this pile of music o' mine, yet the fact I can't instantly recall any doesn't bode well for its prospects. Like, is Jam & Spoon's Hispanos In Space really the best I can think of?

And yeah, all those prog-rock dudes for sure lay out some complicated, classically inspired segments in their works. They're still doing it within the confines of prog-rock though, with fellow band members contributing to the overall songcraft. No, I'm talking solo, acoustic, non-folksy, improvisational technical works. With such greats as... um, okay, I don't know anyone in this field. Even bringing up Wiki-Lists draws a complete blank on yours truly. Julian Bream? Xuefei Yang? Craig Ogden? John Williams? (no, not that John Williams) Yeah, I know shit all here. But hey, even doing this cursory research into the subject has jacked a solid info-dump into my brainpan, so there's that.

Which finally brings us to Branches from Cyril Secq and Orla Wren. The former formed the experimental French folk group Astrïd, while the latter often pairs up with acoustic string musicians to make clicky fuzzy abstract ambient folk-pop. I'm assuming the two were at least aware of each others work, as somewhere along the way, Orla roped Cyril into providing guitar work for his 2013 album Book Of The Folded Forest. Mind, several musicians contributed to that one, as is often the case with many Orla Wren albums, but the creative synergy must have held stronger between the two, going into a collaborative project together. Cyril will provide the strings, and Orla will provide the treatments.

No, really, that's about all there is to Branches. Mr. Secq's finger plucking is spacious and unfussy, the very definition of music as like a meandering stream of conscious flow. Or exploring the branching paths on the limb of a tree, as it were. Of the eight tracks, Troisième Branche uses violin strokes rather than acoustic strumming, while Sixième Branche and Huitième Branche mixes the two together. Regarding the types of guitar Cyril uses, 'fraid I can't help you there. As said, I'm woefully under-educated in the intricacies of classical acoustic music. It does all sound quite pleasant though.

As for Orla Wren, it seems as though he's taken a step back in this partnership, his minimalist sounds consisting of static burbles, clicking pops, sprinkling tonks, airy feedback, weird echoes, and the sort of random electronic noises you'd expect of musique concrete. You know, pretentious art! Heh, no, I'm ribbing - Branches doesn't come off nearly as stuffy. It is extremely avante garde though, clearly intended for intellectual sorts more interested in studying minutiae than a little easy-listening enjoyment.