All in all, “Avenger” is easily one of the must-have albums of 2011, ready to take on the newfound mainstream interest as well as keep the older followers of Hecq’s work pleased. Highly recommended.
Category: Reviews
(ad)VANCE(d) – 24
“24” is the fourth release by Mars Wellink as (ad)VANCE(d) and one he can be very proud of. The cover and vinyl are wonderful and the music triggers the brain over and over again.
Flint Glass & Arx Kaeli – Circumbaikal
Despite that the production and music are both of good quality, everything on “Circumbaikal” seems too short. It is as if each track calls it quits before it really has a chance to get off the ground.
New Risen Throne – Loneliness of Hidden Structures
To be honest, if you’re not a fan of the style, this record will feel boring and empty. Even when compared to some other acts in the genre it’s fairly boring. However, it has that rare subtle, calculated brilliancy to it that only a few acts, such as Kammarheit or Tholen, can pull off: this is minimal dark ambient done properly.
Voice of Eye – Anthology Two 1992-1996
The big question is if the release has the quality you expect, and the answer is that it even goes beyond your expectation. On two CDs a very good overview is created with several hard-to-find tracks as well as never-before-released outtakes from live performances.
Vortex – Rockdrill
After listening to this for a few minutes it is readily apparent that Rockdrill is a good fit at Cyclic Law. The vibe of the music recollects something perilously mysterious of deeply ancient and organic origin; I find myself constantly getting mental images of primordial human plight. Fans of industrial-tinged dark ambient (with a pinch of neofolk) should really like this one.
V/A – Myths & Masks of Karol Szymanowski: Music by Ukrainian Sound Artists
This tribute compilation gave eight Ukrainian sound artists the opportunity to freely represent their respective visions of Karol Szymanowski’s music, life and ideas. The result is a gorgeously packaged disc and twelve-page booklet. It is a collection for lovers of drones, glitch, noise and pure, eclectic experimentalism in sound – yet with strong classical nuances.
Cisfinitum / The [Law-Rah] Collective – [ANS]werk
A difficult release to review, and surely each listener will perceive it completely differently, but it will surely provide an abstract aural experience that definitely deserves to be enjoyed and surely remembered for a long time… and space.
Arkona – Acid Landscapes
“Acid Landscapes” is a well thought of title and it does fit a symbiosis between a more soundscape-like approach of equipment used for acid. But, probably because it’s been compiled of 4 different releases which were created over 7 years, the whole lacks a bit of coherence which would have made the release stronger.
Kabutogani – Bektop
This is the type of thing that masquerades under the guise of being slick & artsy, and the naysayers just “don’t get it”. The only thing to ‘get’ here is that “Bektop” is the lazy result of throwing a whole bunch of rough, directionless sketches onto a CD and thinking that because it’s annoying and hard to listen to that it is inherently ‘artistic’ and ‘deep’.