CD, Mechanismz, 2006
www.myspace.com/lamentconfiguration
It’s been five years since US act Lament Configuration’s first EP release, during which he’s been quite prolific, with one more EP, a full length release and memorable tracks in some of the best compilations in that period (“Duo.Tone” and “FUCK” coming from the top of my head). And now, Lament Configuration is back with a vengeance with his second full-length album “The Death Rattle of Flower Power”.
Following a rather steady pattern throughout the entirety of the album, Lament Configuration offer a well made mixture of synths, layered upon almost exclusively (if not sometimes unnecessarily) heavy beats, frequently pitched against walls of screeching noise, all in great effect. From the great opening that the Proyecto Mirage-esque “Diamond Dust” offers to the “calm” “No Love Lost”, all the original tracks are of equal merit, providing a solid powernoise experience.
Still, “The Death Rattle Of Flower Power” is not without its flaws, the tracks feeling a bit disconnected and more like severed entities than actual parts of an album, despite their similarities in sound. Also, the curse of low-scale production, aka the thrice-damned CD-R compatibility issues are here again. It took me 2 PCs, 2 Discman players and a Hi-Fi system before I managed to listen to the entire album skip-free..
Overall, if one overlooks those relatively minor faults, “The Death Rattle Of Flower Power” makes for a rather enjoyable listen, specially for those keen in the Proyecto Mirage and Winterkaelte schools of powernoise music, who will feel right at home with this puppy.
A harsh 8/10 for Lament Configuration, mostly because of my pet-peeve with CDRs.
[8/10]
— George Mouratidis