The newest offering from Kollapse is by no means something that should be consumed whilst in a distraught headspace. AR (Fysisk Format Records) is as much an introspection as it is a complex collection of seven Noise Rock, Sludge, and experimental tracks from the Danish trio. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Ambient Noise
Sunn O))) – Kannon
It’s a staggering yet frequent reoccurrence: the hardest music to explain, often due to an apparent lack of infectious hook or because of the fact that little is actually happening, sees its orchestrators revered with an almost pathological devotion. Such is the case, of course, with US Drone gods Sunn O))). An overwhelming crush of Ambient noise, their worshippers hang onto every note, every sparing chime, as if it were a word from the heavens: their live shows remarkable for an inhuman level of sonic pain; each new recorded output more of an event, an experience, than a mere album or EP.
Latest full-length Kannon (Southern Lord) evolves in three movements, the first a sequence of pedal-strewn, cosmic, soaring chords. Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley take turns in expanding the eerie yet soothing soundscapes whilst positively terrifying guttural sounds emanate from the mouth of Mayhem’s Attila Csihar. Save for the brief introduction of didgeridoo and the atmospheric air coursing through this fifteen-minute opener, not much else of note occurs: yet it is inexplicably euphoric, haunting, muscle tightening; a spiritual epiphany which the guys conduct with almost superhuman understanding and control.
The opening chords of ‘Kannon 2’, just as economical, are nevertheless more ‘fuzzed’ and allowed to howl over an almost undetectable bass resonance. Chilling chants are intoned across a throbbing, fulminating body in an almost mournful yet Zen-like expression of emotion: an overtone of synthesised harmonics adding a barely recognisable sense of intrigue to an already hypnotic, captivating sound.
If ‘…2’ is the lament, ‘Kannon 3’ is the grave ascension. A similar structure sees that minimalist riff spike and clash with horrific anger, whilst the chanting bass voices become more sinister yet, paradoxically, reverberating to the verge of messianic celebration: a triumphal, fearful tribute to a returning, victorious tyrant. The intermittent Blackened roars, terrifying yet beatific, are both the counterpoint and the embodiment of the ability to stir and surprise while retaining control of an almost unbearably slow pace.
Masters of their sphere, legends of the galaxies, Kannon sees Sunn O))) display every shimmering ounce of their resplendent power.
8.0/10
PAUL QUINN
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Theologian – A Means By Which To Break The Surface Of The Real
It may not sound like it to some, but making Ambient or Noise music is hard. Sure, the technical skills required by more traditional instruments aren’t required, but without the comfortable short-hand of riffs, choruses and the other elements of Pop/Rock songwriting, composition can be considerably more challenging. Anyone with a laptop can make some spooky noises and put them together, but making them interesting and engaging is another matter entirely.
On A Means By Which… (Redscroll/Annihilus Power Electronix), Theologian wield the familiar elements of roaring wind-tunnel distortion, ominous Noise and occasional distorted vocals to create the standard-issue sense of dread and dislocation across four tracks, but they also nod to their “Industrial” tag by incorporating languid programmed beats on some tracks. Though it’s hard to pin down exactly what stops AMBWTBTSOTR (even the acronym is too long) from really taking flight, these beats would probably be my vote for single biggest cause – too regimented and ordered to support the sense of dense, claustrophobic chaos achieved elsewhere and too withdrawn to really engage by themselves, they break the atmosphere without adding anything else to replace it. There are times, for example during second track ‘Surface Of The Real’, when they succeed in building up quite a menacing swagger, but it fails to really deliver into a satisfying pay-off. It’s a cliché, but nothing on here goes beyond the level of wallpaper – nice enough to have in the background, but nothing that’s going to engage you by itself.
Ultimately, The Album I Am No Longer Going To Name falls into that most frustrating of categories – There’s Nothing Really Wrong With It, I Suppose, But It’s Just Not Special Enough. If you’re looking for nothing but vaguely spooky background sounds then there’s nothing really to fault here, but Theologian’s ambitions to transcend reality or subvert perception fall far short of the mark.
5.0/10
RICHIE HR