So much of music journalism seems to be about defining the indefinable. Finding suitable adjectives, metaphors and similes to somehow bring to life the intangible and impossibly subjective is a difficult task yet one that is ultimately greatly rewarding. The cover of the sleeper has awakened depicts a crudely drawn screaming face peering out from the monochrome world it inhabits. It is an apt depiction for the music that lies within – distortion-laden, electronica / post-rock that sits somewhere between Ulver, Mogwai and Aphex Twin. Brief, but impossibly atmospheric at the same time, this is an EP that those with an eclectic taste in music will be keen to hear.
With three tracks clocking in at a total of fifteen minutes, the first track ‘kill me first, fast and again’ is without doubt the most effective because it is unexpected. Opening with gentle chimes a huge electronic beat comes crashing down amidst layers of distortion and an increasingly agitated melody line. Disembodied voices echo through the blackness, what may or may not be the heavily treated sound of a guitar adds depth and power to the composition and the effect is rather like being caught in the sights of a Sunn 0))) remix album. It’s a remarkable piece of work that is utterly absorbing – so much so that you yearn for a longer whole. ‘(scenes from) a silent light’ is a softer piece – almost early Pink Floyd at the outset (think ‘Ummagumma’) before a skittering beat comes marching, ant-like across the surface, all the way towards a thunderous bass that finally appears to stamp out all the light generated by the early portions of the track. The soundscapes are fascinating, almost impossibly dense and layered, and as the track accelerates to its conclusion you realise you’ve become tightly enmeshed within the band’s dreamlike world. Final track ‘that close’ opens with a scratchy, distorted voice and languid guitar lines echoing from out of the depths. The somnambulant pace combining the sounds of pastoral progressive music, life support and ambient-style drums (think The Orb at their most obtuse), it is gentle and eloquent which makes the dénouement, with its paranoid guitar line and stuttering, overloaded electronics all the more harassing.
This is not a record that will appeal to a wide audience, but it deserves to be adored by a manic few who appreciate the dark wonders the EP has to offer. So many influences whirl across the soundscape that it’s hard to pin down any one thing, but what is clear is that for the musically open-minded this will prove a treat indeed. Highly recommended.
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