On the latest two track release as Cathode, Steve Jefferis explores vocals and tries topack as big an electronic journey as possible into the four minutelistening experience as gently as he can. Whichever way thesongs seem to twist Cathode keeps melody at the heart of the music.The title track’s warm digital electronics are structured in acontradictory way—rich and eventful but minimal—which gives thetrack a unique spacey sound without making it over complicated anddully abstract. Without filling songs to the brim with clicks,ticks and emissions, Cathode knows when to take the time to explore thebigger melodic themes and counter melodies. A briskly comfortable beataccented with intermittent percussive clangs underlines a memorablespooky and sad mainsynth line while Caroline Thorp’s breathyand brief vocal only takes second fiddle. Rounding things off is adecidedly wonky andlive electric guitar counter melody which lifts the song into a minutefinalebefore fading back into the main theme.
I wish the second track “Economic Growth”lasted twice as long as it does. Just as the song’s swirl ofsound takes hold,it's all over, dropping me off way too soon and demanding furtherplays. It’s definitely to the song’scredit that it doesn’t even feel like four minutes has passed. Startingof with a simple pulsing wave it grows subtly, step by bleep, evolvinginto asimplistic but lush electronic melody remeniscent of theWeatherall-helmed period of One Dove. The track comes to an end softlyafter aperiod of busy building and overlapping tones which never threaten toswallow the core of the song in the ensuing chaos.
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