As half of the duo Solo Andata, Kane Ikin works heavily with treated and processed field recordings, shaping them into complex, sometimes shadowy organic compositions. On this solo outing he works less with nature, but uses practically everything else (synthesizers, drum machines, rotting vinyl, etc) to create an album of similar complexity, albeit a darker, more isolated sensibility.
As an admitted sucker for both textural vinyl surface noise and vintage drum machines, I was instantly enamored with the likes of "Europa" and "Hyperion", both of which focus heavily on the decaying static of old vinyl and erratic, shambling synthetic rhythms.Although the machines appear throughout, Ikin opts to make it less about a programmed rhythm, and more about using the individual beats and hits as the focus.While the former opens the album in a dramatic fashion, the latter closes it in a sparse, skeletal coda.
The album seems to be almost split, with the first half consisting of more complex, deep compositions, and the remainder working more within spacious, arid territories."Slow Waves," for examples, obscures a melodic thrust that sounds far off in the distance with undulating bass drone and surface noise, while the loop-heavy "Rhea" slowly piles layers on into a static laden, almost harsh piece.This is very much contrasted by the fragments of music and heavily processed rhythm of "Black Sands," and the distorted beats and gentle white noise puffs of "Compression Waves."While the album and song titles conjure a distinct cosmic feeling, it is only on a few pieces such as "Oberon" where it seems an obvious theme.Distant, radar like pulses guide much of the song, even into its more disjointed, dissonant ending.
At 16 pieces, there are a lot of ideas crammed into Sublunar, but never does it feel incoherent or messy:they all have a common murky sensibility to them, a sort of post-rock tinged take on ambient music and industrial drone.The worst part is that a few of the miniature pieces, such as the stuttering rhythms and what may be guitar of "Titan" and the fragmented beats of "An Infinite Moment" are simply too brief, with the former clocking in at under a minute.I personally would have enjoyed hearing these sounds and styles expanded upon, but I would not want that in lieu of any material already a part of this album.While I have definitely enjoyed Ikin’s work with Solo Andata, I think I would be just as eager to hear a follow up to this one.
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