When Bermuda Drain came out earlier this year, Dominick Fernow was knowingly releasing a highly polarizing album. Bringing in things like melody and rhythm is a cardinal sin for the noise scene, and the rest of the record was simply too harsh for the beat oriented crowd to digest. In a way, this companion EP is more reined in, keeping the melodies in beats in some tracks, and allowing the harshness to dominate others.
After all this time, I still think Bermuda Drain is baffling and find it hard to articulate exactly how I feel about it.From conversations I've had with others who can appreciate both the noise and the melody, I'm definitely not alone in that feeling.Each and every spin of that record makes me think and feel differently about it, and though I'm not exactly sure what those feelings are, I know I've grown in my appreciation of it each time.
Time's Arrow is, in my opinion, more of an immediately engaging work.With an opening loop of crunchy rhythms and synth passages, there is some definite kinship with Fernow’s other current project, Vatican Shadow, but this has is a more raw, harsher edge.Melodic synth lines layer atop one another, creating a tapestry that is probably the most inviting, comfortable sound Dominick has ever produced.The alternate "Unsolved' mix feels like an extension or alternate take of the original, not really being "different" as much as "more'.Both feature Fernow’s clear, spoken word vocals, which work better here than his unhinged screaming would be.
Beyond this, it’s a much harsher and noise-centric ride.The stuttering drum machine loop that lies under feedback and manic screams is the only musical element of "Let’s Make A Slave (De-shelled)," with the rest channeling old school Prurient.It's a far cry from the rather restrained, though calmly sinister version of the song from Bermuda Drain.The same goes for "Maskless Face," where Fernow’s screams and the hollow rhythms definitely feel reminiscent of the likes of Genocide Organ and latter-day Whitehouse.
Closer "Slavery in the Bahamas (Instrumental)" basically abandons the musical elements entirely, opting for a constant barrage of feedback and synth squall, nothing at all like the demo version from the Bermuda Drain tape.It is a pure blast of old school harsh noise, though very clean and well produced in comparison to most other artists.
It almost seems like Time's Arrow was designed to please those who were put off by the unexpected mix of noise and music that was Bermuda Drain, since it segregates the two musical pieces at the beginning, and leaves the chaos for the noise heads at the end. For that reason it was a quicker album to appreciate, since I was immediately digging the rhythmic/melodic sounds of "Time's Arrow," but also enjoyed the ugly dissonance of the remainder.
However, since this a more immediate record, it feels like it didn't evolve each time I listened to it.So while I found it more engaging at first, it seemed to stick with me less after hearing it.It truly is a superlative entry in Fernow's discography, just a different one than Bermuda Drain was.
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