Dance With The Dead - Into The Abyss

self release: 2014

So I got all of Dance With The Dead, the entire Bandcamp catalogue, all ten main releases. Why would I go and do something like that? I've only heard one track of theirs, and it's a remix at that. Yeah, but it's also one of the most awesome tracks I've ever heard, their go with Gost's Reign In Hell an all-timer in getting me absolutely fuckin' hype. If the rest of their catalogue is even a fraction as dope, then a bounty of kick-ass synth-metal must exist.

Where to start though? I could sift through each album before dropping some coin, but y'all know I prefer the exhilarating reactions of unheard purchases. All the cover art is retro fun, like browsing the Horror section of your local VHS rental shop, so hard to decide just on those merits. Wait a minute, everything is only two dollars more than buying a single album? Heck, may as well go with that option. Might help break up my ongoing coverage of the entire catalogues of Lucette Bourdin and Speedy J.

And thus, by Alphabetical Decree (re: what's currently slotted in the ongoing queue), we're starting this deep dive into Dance With The Dead with Into The Abyss. It's... not the most typical of their releases, that's for sure. Like, their iconography is very much in a George A. Romero vein, and this cover art is anything but. I guess it being one of their earliest EPs – in fact, their second release overall, if the Bandcamp dates are believed – the duo had yet to establish much of a proper identity. If finding influence from something a little more Cameron than Carpenter was where their heads were at, so be it.

After an intro of sonar pings and ominous tones letting us know that, yes, we are indeed descending into the depths of the bounding main, Battle holds little back in delivering the epic synthwave stylee: epic build, choir pads, stomping rhythms, squealing vintage synths, and that triumphant guitar action from Tony Kim. Perhaps not as tear-out as you'd expect from a track titled Battle, but gotta' save a little of that for later in.

From there, we get Moon Runner, a track that- wait, “Moon” Runner? I thought we were going into dark, oceanic domains. What's a tune that would sound better fitted in a Dynatron collection doing here? Well, it's a cool tune regardless, if rather typical of mid-'10s synthwave. Let's get back to that propah' Dance With The Dead synth-n-metal action on Mask (and hey, sonar pings again – way to tie things back to the EPs theme, guys!) and Odyssey (ooh, that bassline's almost as good as the on on Reign In Hell). By contrast, Suede sounds more like it should be the opening credits theme to a classic arcade game, while No Survivors wants to be the closing credits to a Cameron film, orchestral swells and all. Mmm, stick to the shredding, mates. (and they would too)

Speedy J - Intercontinental

Plus 8 Records: 1990/2021

The first ever Speedy J release, and boy does it show. Actually, that's unfair, some of the tunes on this four track EP already offering glimmers and hints of where Mr. Paap's career would lead. This being a 1990 record though, there are certain, inescapable sonic markers that have a young producer still playing by the rules as laid out by his contemporaries, whether they be British or Detroitish.

What's weird for me is to even think there being a 'ground zero' for Speedy J records in the first place. Like, obviously he had to start somewhere, but as I only became aware of him during his G-Spot era, his earlier stuff seemed but a mystery. Even when I finally 'caught up' to his debut album Ginger, it didn't feel like I was getting the whole Phase 1 Speedy J story. And sure enough, there were even older records than his Artificial Intelligence era, breaking out with the techno freshmen making their mark on a fledgling Plus 8 Records. Yet still, my brain is convinced there must be something even older than Intercontinental. Some unreleased demo tapes, maybe, or a secret, shameful alias of generic freestyle funk Jochem refuses to acknowledge. There has to be something out there!

The Intercontinental EP – indeed, Speedy J's entire career! - kicks off with Wicked Saw. And yep, that synth line sure sounds like a saw, about as jagged as those sound waves could get in ye' olde year nineteen ninety-aught. Despite some more ominous segments, I can't help but draw comparisons to Adamski's N-R-G, released late the previous year. Yeah, that track is a bit silly and free-flowing, about as you'd expect of UK acid house, whereas Speedy J's Wicked Saw plays things mostly straight and ravey. Just something about those rhythms and funky fills tethers it to Adamski in my mind. Like I said, sonic markers and such. Minimal is minimal techno before minimal techno was really a thing, so here it just sounds like monotonous techno. Or tool techno, if you're being generous. Pass.

Now Journey, that's a Detroit space jam if I ever heard one. Those stuttery synths though, there's something almost... trancey about them. Never mind, here comes some classsy organ licks, breakbeat fills, and bleepy goodness. Why, this tune could even have appeared on early Warp Records, if it wasn't already on a Detroit label. Final track Spectrum gets deeper into bleep territory, and almost, dare I say, “intelligent” take on techno.

So a promising start to a youngling J. He definitely had an early ear for dancefloor effectiveness but some care and thought put into arrangements too. Considering this was still an era when few had many sounds at their disposal, the Speedy one shows how much could be done even with the standard tools of the techno trade. It'd still be a couple years before Jochem would truly stretch though, instead a brief flirtation into ravey anthems just around the corner.

Aes Dana - Inks

Ultimae Records: 2019

I don't want to claim Ultimae Records has 'fallen off', as some do, because that's not really the case. Yeah, their musical manifesto has morphed into something quite different from its inception, but that doesn't mean their quality standards have slipped. They've simply chosen to explore different sonic avenues, and whether you're up for joining them in this journey likely comes down to personal taste. And for myself, I can't say I've always been for it. Whereas Ultimae of old was 'must buy' with every release, I've skipped on a few in more recent years, not even worried some may slip into over-inflated collector's market territory.

And truth be told, Aes Dana's Inks might have been included in there. Much as I've generally liked his older albums like Season 5, Perimeters and Pollen, it's been a long time since he indulged in prog-psy of that nature. Rather, dub techno and journeys through the sonic spaces between has dominated his muse for the past decade, and after the wafer-thin outing that was Far & Off with MikTek, not to mention Ultimae's general direction, I wasn't in any hurry to hear where his muse was going.

Still, I was willing to listen to some Bandcamp samples, and what's this? D'n'B rhythms? In an Ultimae release!? Oh... oh my! Never would I have imagined hearing something like that out of this label, much less from Aes Dana himself. And sure, they're nothing on the level of some fierce Technical Itch Amen break action, but those broken beats in Unfold, Transparency Syndrome, Ashen, and Alep Offset sure skip and stutter like some low-key, ASC microfunk does. Well, I'm sold, let's check Inks out proper-like then.

Honestly though, first impressions are gonna' be tough to get through, because yeah, Mr. Villuis' first solo album in seven years does have that omnipresent, minimalist grey-tone dub techno vibe throughout. If modern Ultimae still doesn't do it for you, little on Inks will change your mind, and you'd be forgiven for dismissing it out of hand.

Yet once this album finally (finally!) started sinking in, I was quite mesmerized by the diversity lurking beneath the surface. Tunes on that more classic Ultimae downbeat tip include the titular opener and Akacie, while techno of all stripes gets a look in with Nuphar Log (classic dub), Peace Corrosion (minimalist proggy outing), and Otherness (d'at Berghain shi'). Some ambient pieces in The Gradual District and Juniper round things out, but man, even Alep Offset is a journey and a half. Ol' Vincent even slows the tempo down to a hip-hop crawl. D'n'B and hip-hop in an Ultimae release? Wonders never cease.

Again, if you remain unconvinced about the label's current general tone, I doubt Inks will change your mind. I was glad I gave this a chance though. Heck, it even got me hype to nab Aes Dana's more recent album, (a) period. Heard quite good things about that one and it's already sold out. Son of a b

Owl - Infinite Horizon

Silent Season: 2021

I brought this up in the last Silent Season review I did (Daar's Entire), but man, has there ever been a lasting drought from this label. Daar's album remains the 'final' item they released, while this Infinite Horizon from Owl is only a month older. I feel like I'll have gone through the entire Silent Season back-catalogue in reverse order before they release something new. You think I'm joking, but Tomas Jirku's Touching The Sublime is also in my queue, currently the 'fourth-to-last' item from the label. Ooh, and now the OCD compels me to grab the digital-only Moon Song EP from Yuka, just to claim I have all these in proper order. Or heck, why not drop a hundred bones on the entire Bandcamp collection? Sure, I already have twenty out of the sixty-seven releases, but I'm gonna' need something to satisfy my Silent Season fix in their ongoing absence.

Owl is Pierre Nesi, a chap who's released a scattershot amount of material over the past decade. He had an earlier, modestly successful run making drum 'n' bass and future garage with fellow Belgian Lucas D'Haeyaert as Glÿph (yikes, guys, change that Discogs photo! You look right out of an Aphex Twin video). Seems the Owl alias emerged as a means of exploring the more atmospheric elements of his muse, with rhythms more on the downbeat. He made a debut on Silent Season as part of their 10 Year Collection series of vinyl releases, returning half a decade later for there here seven track debut solo album.

As this is a Silent Season release, I went into Infinite Horizon fully expecting to hear things like fuzzy field recordings, layers of dubby timbre, and maybe even some of techno's rhythmic pulse. Sure enough, opener Moonshine Haze provides that, but gosh, why does that distant howl put my nerves on edge? There's still some sense of hazy, grey-tone melancholy to Mr. Nesi's choice of synth harmony, which fits that omnipresent coastal rainforest vibe I've long associated with the label. There's just something oddly bleak about it too.

And that tone doesn't let up in following tracks Glimpse Of Decline and Losing Cohesion. Despite moments of melodic respite (dashes of spritely bells in Decline, the sound of chirping birds in Cohesion), there's still an overwhelming sense of depression. Heck, I'll just come right out and say Two Lands is out-and-out dark ambient, the sort you might hear on a Cryo Chamber cinematic drone release.

I can't say that's the dominate tone of Infinity Horizon though. Hidden Forest is a straight up dub techno cut in the classic Silent Season wide-screen ambient vein, while Distant Transmission and the titular cut go more for the reflective ambient dub outings. Overall, this seven tracker hits most of the vintage vibes you'd expect out of this label. I just have never heard Silent Season go as dark as Two Lands before. Makes me wonder what else I might have missed over the years.

Various - In Trance We Trust Xtra Nordic Edition: DJ John Storm

In Trance We Trust: 2001

I've picked up In Trance We Trust CDs for a myriad of reasons: spiffy TranceCritic review, a string of gimmick reviews, a sense of OCD-induced completism. Oddly, and perhaps a bit sadly, I've seldom gotten one because it intrigued me. Y'know, that twinge of curiosity one feels glancing upon cover art, a list of names on the back you're unfamiliar with and wish to explore further. There was a little with some editions (shout out to In Trance We Trust 006, yo'!), but I'm eighteen CDs deep now and it remains a rare occurrence.

Not so with Xtra Nordic Edition. For a label that's always been well-regarded for its classy photos, this one struck out like few others (Ringworld?). I've made my love of frigid Arctic scenery quite known on this blog, so naturally a huge hunk of ice floating in the darkest waters gets my senses tingling. Will this be filled with frosty-cool trance music, some deep chill cuts you just wouldn't hear anywhere else but the Nordic regions of Europe? The Scandinavians were already making quite the rep' with their cosmic disco tunes, could we get something of similar ilk from DJ John Storm?

Haha, no, nothing of the sort. Rather, the early days of Black Hole Recordings – and specifically In Trance We Trust – had a kinda'-sorta' partnership going with the Planetary Consciousness label. Never mind the print was based out of Berlin, they seemed to have a tap on Nordic trance jocks, some of which helmed the early run of In Trance We Trust CDs. It wasn't long before Black Hole would stick with in-house talent, but those initial ties still lingered for a time, and with the Black Hole empire in rapid ascent by the year 2001, what harm in exporting the brand into lands where they already had a beachhead?

As for the actual mix... well, I like about half of it. I've no idea what kind of jock Oddgeir “John Storm” Kristensen is, because this is his only entry within Lord Discogs, though apparently went on to form a Norwegian rap group called Side Brok. In any case, I sense two sets out of Mr. Storm: the one where he has to play a bunch of the Dutchiest Dutch trance that ever Dutched out of Black Hole, and the set where he just bangs things out with some propah' tough tech-trance. The latter mostly comes care of names like Impact and Project 247, with tunes that fit that supposed In Trance We Trust manifesto of showcasing the harder side of the genre.

The other prominent tunes has Geert Huinink as a producer, five out of the twelve. Yeah, that Geert Huinink, so expect those kinds of breakdowns, with those orchestral swells. What's amusing though, is in final track Protuberance from Dawnseekers, as the breakdown reaches its Geertiest moment, Oddgeir cuts the track off and ends the set, denying the listener the expectant gratuitous build-up. Expert trolling there, my friends!

Various - In Trance We Trust 001: DJ Misja Helsloot

In Trance We Trust: 1998

Going back to the very beginning of this label's existence was inevitable, especially if I ever want to sate this bizarre desire to 'complete the set'. Oddly, In Trance We Trust 001 wasn't that hard to find for a reasonable penny, at least compared to the subsequent volumes. Is it because Mr. Helsloot has remained active to this day? For sure Discoggian data is utterly sparse for DJ Stigma and DJ Lars Holte, though that may be for other reasons I needn't get into here.

Anyhow, we should be plenty familiar with the story now. Black Hole Recordings established, DJ Tiësto quickly releasing a couple of his famed Magik mix CDs, fame growing, then *boom*! Sub-labels spring up aplenty. Actually, I'm not entirely sure how many emerged shortly after Black Hole's launch. I was honestly surprised to discover In Trance We Trust was birthed so soon after its parent label though, my head somehow thinking it wasn't until the year 2000. And yet, listening to the inaugural mix CD from this two decade-plus old print (!!), you could have easily convinced me it was launched even earlier.

I know the state of trance was somewhat in flux throughout 1998, but there's still an easily identifiable sound we associate with the era: sawwave anthems, gated pads, melodies that really get your gurn on. I was not expecting to hear vintage choir pads right from the opening in Hammock Brothers' Blaze Of Night. Even more confounding to my senses is this is one of Mr. Verwest's early collabs, in this case Roland Kramer. Right, it totally gets its Sash! on when the peak hits, but so did a lot of clubby trance back then, and not every one of them did the ol' school German trance thing while doing so.

Speaking of way-old aliases hardly anyone remembers, hoo boy are there a bunch of them here. M.I.K.E. and Deruyter (as Extreme Trax), Benno de Goeij (as Ceres), Taucher and Stenzel (as Red Light District), Transa (as Cascade), with Corsten (as Moonman) on the rub. Actually, this Transcend tune is one I definitely recall hearing 'back in the day', and a clear precursor to his massive Out Of The Blue, doing that 'hold the build e-e-e-extra long' thing.

That was 'the future of trance' though, and Misja fills this CD with plenty of old-sounding trance from names like DJ Philip, Solar Plexus, Warlock, and even his own E-Mocean. Elsewhere, tunes like De-Tuned from Reversed Twister, Did You Hear Me? from Red Light District, and, erm, Sakin & Friends' Protect Your Mind and Tiësto's own Theme From Norefjell point to where things were headed.

Which would make for an interesting set if Mr. Helsloot thematically arranged things to support this dichotomy, but he doesn't. Frankly, the mixing is shockingly abrupt, with key clashes and hard slams everywhere. I guess when everyone making the genre aren't all using the same presets yet (much less studio polished into label homogeneity), these things are more noticeable.

KMFDM - In Dub

Metropolis: 2020

Industrial rock and reggae dub hand in hand? It's not as daft an idea as first glance suggests. Both have roots in the realm of studio sonic experimentation, and several artists have paid nods and tributes to the other scene's taste-makers. There's even been ample examples of the two merging with winning results, Kevin Martin's The Bug probably the most obvious example, at least where this blog's concerned.

And while KMFDM made their mark in the '90s with a brand of EBM they self-described as Ultra Heavy Beat, Sascha K. wormed elements of dub in sporadic works as early as the 1989 album UAIOE. Clearly that fell by the wayside as thrashy guitars and aggro techno came to dominate the KMFDM sound, but it's never left his muse. All he needed was an opportunity to fully explore it. Eh, some global thing has made touring impossible for a while? That'll do.

Thus unlike many other 'in dub' albums out there, KMFDM's In Dub was produced completely in house, Sascha manning the console himself. While it would have been interesting to hear some radically different takes on KMFDM tunes from some of dub music's prominent producers (ooh, a Bug rub on Anarchy would hit just right, I wager), Mr. K. handles himself well enough. He's got all the standard tropes of reggae down pat – the heavy reverb on languid drums, the wobby-bobby basslines, the trumpet fills, the organ fills... and not much else, to be honest. Sure, he works in his shouty vocals, Lucia's singing, and chopped-up guitar action as featured in the original tunes he's bigging the dub up on, but doesn't push the envelope further than that. I mean, a full-on reggae dub version of KMFDM songs is plenty 'nuff envelope pushing where this band's concerned.

Alright then, which tracks are getting the In Dub treatment then? Some good ol' classics like Juke Joint Jezebel, Power, Glory, Terror, Apathy, Megalomanical? Ah, we kick off with Angst's kick-off, Light. Hmm, don't recognize Superhero, Uranus or Bumaye, but here's A Drug Against War, also from Angst. Then... uh huh... uh huh... huh. I don't recognize anything else at all. I know I've barely scratched the surface of the totality of KMFDM's catalogue, but surely more would have been included from the agreed-upon 'golden era'. What gives?

But yes, aside from the two Angst tracks, everything given a redubbing on In Dub comes from the band's post-2000 era, after En Esch and Günter Schulz had left. Despite some dozen albums being released, I'm wholly unfamiliar with this phase, and I'm not entirely sure I'm inclined to explore it much.

Which doesn't mean I don't enjoy In Dub for what it is. In fact, maybe I like it a little more, convincing myself these are mostly wholly new creations intended for this release? Mm, nah, I'm not so naive. It's a fun diversion, though you definitely need to be on that reggae dub vibe to get much out of it.

ACE TRACKS: April - June 2022

Well. Don't think I'll be doing that again.

It was so much easier working two festivals per summer when they were separated by a month. After so many fire seasons threatening to derail everything, however, the Shambhala Music Festival decided to move its event into July, only a couple weeks after the other one I've been attending, Basscoast. Then ~THE PANDEMIC~ happened, thus delaying everything for three years before we could see how such a change would take effect. Ironically, despite Shambhala moving its dates earlier into the year to avoid potential fire closures, my region of the world has been going through one of its rainiest summers on record, rendering the fire threat a moot point.

Anyhow, I had a ton of vacation time banked, so decided to do both festivals despite the short turnaround. I can't say things didn't go as planned, because for the most part, things did, even if I mostly only enjoyed the first 3/4s of Shambhala, and the last 1/4 of Basscoast (so, combined, a perfect festival!). It's just circumstances made for a far more hectic month than I was prepared for, plus two bouts of post-festival sickness thrown in for good measure. No COVID though (at least, according to the tests), so there's that?

If both festies are gonna' insist on existing within the same month, think I'm gonna' have to choose one over the oth- it's Shambhala. It'll always be Shambhala. Basscoast is fun when it's in full-swing, but kinda' dull place to chill, especially when you're working pre-show (not to mention the 'volunteer situation' has grown rather unfavourable). The Kootenays will always be a preferred vacation destination, even when putting in a little hard work while out there.

So that's my month of July wrapped up. How was yours? And while sharing, here's a long overdue ACE TRACKS playlist, gathering up music from April through June (and a little July):


Full Track List here.


MISSING ALBUMS:
Pale Glow - In Dreams Awake
Speedy J - Ieee Mitten Menu
Silent Universe - Gravity
Various - Fabric 69: Sandwell District
Various - Fabric 58: Craig Richards Presents The Nothing Special
Fabric 55: Shackleton
Grid - Evolver
Speedy J - Evolution
Daar - Entire
Aythar - ElectrOcean / Winter Walk

Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 6%
Percentage Of Rock: 0%
Most “WTF?” Track: Probably anything from Technical Itch, Parental Advisory, or The Bug, as they'll often suddenly, aggressively appear after some calming ambient music.

Seriously, there's a lot of ambient music in this playlist, not to mention a fair chunk of tunes on the downbeat. Probably great if you're up for some extreme chill time (post-festival blahs, let's say), but I certainly wouldn't want to take a long road trip to this.

Pale Glow - In Dreams Awake

Neotantra: 2021

Another Neotantra release so soon after the last one? What is this, April of 2021 all over again? Well, this one came out in July of 2021, whereas Martin Allin's album came out in February of 2021, which means... absolutely nothing, if we're being honest. It's just a weird coincidence that the label would put out two albums mere months apart both having titles beginning with the letter “I”, and that I'd be reviewing them mere days apart a year later.

Heck, it wouldn't have surprised me if they were both titled “In [something]”. The world of music loves leading off with the word “In”. Take a gander at some within my own collection: In Blue, In Dub, In Stereo, In Utero, In-Between Spaces, In The Silence Of The Subconscious, In The Rain, In The Noise. And let's not forget all those In Trance We Trust and In Search Of Sunrise mix CDs, to say nothing about the endless amount of words that start with the letters I and N. It's a very, very, very common digraph within the English language, is what I'm saying.

Anyhow, if you remember my previous Neotantra review of so many hours ago, the reason I'm blathering on about silly nonsense rather actual reviewing is because I'm once again confronted with an artist with barely any available information. Total blank with Lord Discogs, a couple Neotantra compilation contributions, plus a self-release on Bandcamp of select tracks from this particular release. At least Mr. Allin had an actual name I could sleuth about a little with, Pale Glow not even providing that. There was a smidgen more with Bandcamp though, which led to a Facebook page with a dash of additional info, but no names or history I could find. Huh, contact Pale Glow directly? What do I look like, a music journalist?

At a glance, Pale Glow seems to come from the shoegazey side of ambient music, as the nine tracks offered on In Dreams Awake are titled in that long, cumbersome way shoegaze artists love. Every Moment Is A Beginning. Perceiving Imperceptible Things. Waking Is A Prelude To A Dream. The Sunlight Clasps The Earth And The Moonbeams Kiss The Sea. Hold Infinity In The Palm Of Your Hand And Eternity In An Hour. A Reflection Of Nature.

The music's a little shoegazey too, in that radiant dawn, twee feeling one gets with the more chill aspects of that scene. Synth pads are delicate, bell tones twinkle like morning dew, rhythms barely a pitter-patter, while the tone remains exceptionally mellow and sun-kissed bliss. Is it just me though, or is every track in the same key? Doing a quick skip through sure makes it sound so. Was In Dreams Awake originally conceived as a singular piece? Despite track breaks, it does come off like one long track, so tonally consistent throughout as it is. Now imagine this album being presented as such, but also retaining the entire 66-word track list as the title too!

The Bug ft. Dis Fig - In Blue

Hyperdub: 2020

“New Bug, who Dis?”

Sorry, sorry, couldn't resist that one. This isn't even all that new of a Bug album anymore, though I can't help but feel it quickly went by the wayside, especially in the wake of Fire coming out the following year. It certainly isn't much like Kevin Martin's Ninja Tune releases, none of the aggro dancehall and grime raps present. If anything, In Blue has more in common with his other Hyperdub records, the Roger Robinson collaboration King Midas Sound. I'm far from the only person to make that association, though I do wonder if this album started as a King Midas Sound project before morphing into this. Kevin and Roger had taken their work into almost dark ambient pastures by this point though, so a different approach and collaborator was probably called for if Mr. Martin wanted a return to the more soulful side of his muse.

As for who Dis Fig is, she doesn't have much Discoggian data, a smattering of singles and a tape album the extent of her solo work. Known as Felicia Chen on her travel papers, she does appear to have some presence on the Soundcloud DJ circuit, with a contribution to FACT Magazine her highest profile gig. There's definitely an aggro, industrialist approach to her sound, oftentimes coupled with ethereal whispers and tense ambient interludes, keeping you on edge for when the aural assault resumes. Seems like a perfect match-up with Mr. Martin's own brand of industrial dub and dancehall grit. Oh, what's this, a global pandemic has put everyone on lockdown? With nothing better to do, seems time was about right to get that collaboration rollin'.

And if the tunnel artwork wasn't enough, first proper tune Come gets right to work in setting the tone of In Blue. Muted echoes, rumbling bass reverberating off concrete walls, an omnipresent dub wail like wind through confined industrial zones - it's all quite familiar Bug music, though rather muted and suppressed compared to his Ninja Tune outings. All the while Ms. Chen softly croons along, though only provides verses to about half the tracks, sometimes with nothing more than a dubbed-out wail piercing Kevin's grimey murk. Some tunes barely feature her at all, such as the gutter bounce of In 2 U or the diesel-train chugging of Forever. It does leave me to wonder if Dis Fig did any music production for this album. Like, The Bug's work is largely prevalent, but surely a couple of those endless echoes are more than Ms. Chen's soft vocals.

In Blue definitely is a seductive album for those who like their bass music on the ethereal side of things. It's a bit samey throughout though, as though you're travelling through an unending monochrome tunnel. Again, I'm sure that was the intent, and Bug plus Fig pull it off well. It just unfortunately kind of melts into the background after a while. Might have been better served as a couple EPs instead.