CD, Diffusion Records, 2004
www.ctrlmusic.com
As the discrete hope of a new morning rises above a wide open landscape of irregular constructions, lost remains of imperialistic dreams, made with broken glass, steel and concrete held together by sadness and contemplation, the lonely figure of a man, closes his eyes, looking deeper beyond the horizons of his own soul, for answers to questions that are all around him. Lost in his inner darkness, he then says: Lose the image… Find the reason.
Brad MacAllister, Jason Fenimore and Alex Virlios are CTRL and these are some of the images and ambiences evoked in “Lose the Image”, their third full-length release. Fifteen tracks of electro, synth and industrial references, well combined in a solid album, served with melancholic and intelligent lyrics. A turbulent voyage of emotions and pictures, all converging into the dissolution of reality, settled in five transitions, from “Truth” to the “Aether” passing by “Left to Find” and “We Hope”.
Shared personal conflicts and wishes… hopes of redemption, with dreams of comprehension, all as clear and simple as the lyrics of “Recognition”: “The city heaves as it goes to sleep; Concealing crimes I don’t dare to speak; And the rain will wash it all away; Take a drink and dream your life away.”
Recently released on Diffusion Records, a very promising American label from Austin (Texas), “Lose the Image” is the result of a project with seven years of existence. “Secure the Shadow” (1998), “Version 10” (1999) and “Is burning…” (2001), all released on Analog Aether, are their previous works.
Though having a discrete presence in the electro-industrial scene, CTRL present us a complex and interesting album, with a very personal approach to the genre.
[7/10]
— Pedro Vieira