CD, Mechanoise Labs, 2005
www.flatlineskyline.com
Flatline Skyline’s “Horizon Grid” is an amazing piece of music and a great show of talent, even more so if one considers it is their debut album. Coming from a noise label, this was a very unexpected but welcome surprise: a collection of talented intimate and melancholic experimental music with a definite pop feeling. Unusual is an adequate adjective for the contents of this album, the songs of which consist of a seamless and highly cinematic creative blend of many disparate musical influences and styles, from noise and ambient to idm and pop into what can be best described as “experimental pop songs”.
Flatline Skyline’s intelligent compositions clearly show the artists’ talent and skill in composing complex and engaging music, with great variety between and in the tracks themselves. The talented and clear vocals (only once are they distorted to great extent), distant and emotional at the same time, complement what is already great music capable of standing on its own, adding further depth and enriching the music with feeling when delivering what are excellent lyrics.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, “Horizon Grid” flows and evolves very naturally from beginning to end, the track placement being close to perfect. It is definitely best experienced as a whole, even though all tracks are great pieces on their own and a few eventually stand out. “Bulletproof Bones” and the fantastic “Riots in the Bloodstream” come to mind as two outstanding tracks in this album, along with “Math Grenades” and “We Depart / Link Arms”, while the improvisational “Blue Jaunte” functions as a great conclusion piece.
Overall, “Horizon Grid” is a stunning debut from a very talented duo. An innovative album that demands careful and attentive listening and should definitely be checked out by anyone with an interest in good music.
[9/10]
— Miguel de Sousa