Council Meeting Memo #007
GCOM: E2-XO (!K7, Album)
What the fuck?!? An hour and a half of dated, pretentious new-age guff. From bad Autechre to Hans Zimmer orchestral posturing (and I hate the Zimmer). It flits between all the EDM styles, not doing any of them very well either. It’s only on the last few tracks where its reigned in, that it offers some promise. But by that time, it’s all a little too late.
D3070: Deep Impact (Cyberdome, 12")
The title track doesn’t half scare you shitless with its sense of electro-doom. Reverberated rhythms that could flatten mountains and a nice line in snarling synths. Elsewhere D3070 does lighten up a bit, especially on the sparkly ‘New Era’ which positively bristles with fission energy. Phresh!
Holy Tongue: II (Amidah, 12")
A heady mix of lo-slung dub and drunken psychedelic narratives. Any criticisms that I have could apply to the genre as a whole: meandering or wallowing in indulgence. But they keep the running time tight which ensures that the likes of me don’t lose focus. The closing echo wash of ‘Breicha’ with accompanying expressionist saxophone from Ben Vince just nudges ahead as the highlight. A lot weirder than their first release as well, which is a welcome move.
Moritz Von Oswald Trio: Dissent (Modern Recordings, Album)
The Trio is the most challenging of Von Oswald’s projects. Its previous albums can sound utterly tedious, a whole that is less than the sum of its parts. Von Oswald has talked of an aspiration to embody a sense of emptiness, but it’s often hard to listen to. At other times the same music can be glorious to behold. The experience is like a magic eye image that’s impossible to see, but then suddenly and unexpectedly reveals itself. This new album comprises new members Laurel Halo and jazz drummer Heinrich Köbberling. The result is the Trio’s most accessible, varied music to date. It’s the one to start with, but ignore other reviewers’ ridiculous claims that the group’s past music is related to Miles Davis’ seminal On The Corner, this is something else entirely. Keywords: languorous, brooding, performative.
Yosh: A Moment (Breaks ’N’ Pieces, EP)
The sudden splinters of jungle that work their way into what is essentially breaks is the USP for this. I’m always a sucker for kung-fu samples so ’10 Tiger Strike’ stood out. And the parting UK-garage infected ‘What On Earth’ bounces and bounds without a care.
