Autumn

Dark, dance-y post-punk with an obvious nod to Joy Division merged with minimal techno. Like a trance-y New Order, or a more dance-y, electronic Bauhaus. I think the promotional sticker on the back is quite accurate in terms of what this sounds like, so check it out. The rhythms are relentlessly catchy and appealing but the melodies are icy, distant, abrasive. There is lots of cutting and pasting of snippets of harsh noise, but these are inserted to create trances and moody, dark dirges. Some worthwhile stuff on here. It’s interesting to listen to, but not something that is especially effective in pulling off what it is going for. I like the shorter pieces with less of a numbing, repetitive structure. No FCCs noted.

*1. Title track, slow, droney intro, dark synths soak in, eerie, weird, mechanical vocals come in halfway through, kind of spooky. This sounds like a warped version of Space Mountain music at the Disneyland of your nightmares. (3:23)
2. Dramatic, slow chugging intro, big bass drum and huge echo on vocals, thumping electronic bass with haunted synth pads, club beats come in. (6:04)
*3. Intstrumental. Atmospherics open, excellent syncopated electronic groove, overwhelming trance-inducing rhythm, ringing, thumping, piercing tones, phasered out. Scary shit. Great track. (4:14)
4. Handclaps, catchy beat, sounds a bit like later Nine Inch Nails, vocals snarl, electronics bubble, sharp cutting bursts of noise interspersed, not melodic. (5:00)
5. Starts with a new, mid-tempo 4/4 groove electronic beat. This track sounds very much like techno; vocals are snipped, while electro-hi-hats, bob to a bouncing bass line. Would fit in well on a dance show. (6:29)
6. More hypnotic, bass-driven, slow brood-rock, whirring synths, stuttering percussion comes in with whispered, spacey baritone vocals. Last minute is scarier; vocals sounds manipulated, reversed percussion, (7:47)
7. This is starting to sound the same. Bass is ripping, guitars are searing and ringing, percussion is engaging, electronics blaring. (5:37)
8. Tricky time signature bleeds into 4/4 electronic percussion with light pianos and bubbly electronics, dissonant keys. Fucked up Twilight Zone/Tomorrowland music hybrid for outro. (6:30)
*9. Vocals are somewhat appealing, hypnotic goth feel, mopey, good. (5:41)