CD, Nefryt, 2008
nefryt.serpent.pl
Re-releases can be good or bad. Let’s face it, if you have a certain release in your collection, it feels silly to see it being re-released because you already have it, and maybe you feel a bit proud because you have the first edition in special packaging, etc. But what about all those others who can’t enjoy that particular release? Should they be denied that gorgeousness, or forced to pay way too much on Ebay or Discogs?
Jaroslaw Szeliga from the Polish label Nefryt probably offered Stefan Knappe from Troum to re-release two older vinyl releases on one CD, and from the full discography from Troum it’s doubtful if any other two releases would fit a CD this well.
Previously released on Beta-lactam Ring Records, the first two tracks are from the “Darvê sh” 10-inch. Both tracks carry the same title as the release itself and last between 13 and 15 minutes. Side A has long, stretched drones in combination with rhythms; there is a constant addition and changing of sounds and layers. Some Arabic scales are used which create a nice feel. The second track is a bit less rhythmic, although the intensity remains. The drones and ambience are more upfront and, even with a fully different atmosphere, the emotional layers are just as effective.
Flawlessly, the CD continues with the “Ajin” 12″ picture disc that was released earlier on Equation Records. The tracks are a bit shorter than the ones on “Darvê sh,” but they fit quite well together, even though the rhythms are a bit more Western on “Ajin.” The final two tracks, referring to the B-side of “Ajin,” are more ambient than the first four. The use of voices creates a paranoid feeling, coming quite close to the unsettling feeling of the thriving rhythms in the first few tracks.
Awesomeness on CD, available in an A5 sleeve!
[8.5/10]
— Bauke van der Wal