Cacophony '33' - Alumina Wrap download free

Another album by CACOPHONY '33', all instruments played as usual by KEV 3.3 with guest vocalist GILLIAN K. "Aerialdom", dedicated to N.E.R. is a delicate little instrumental based on strumming guitar & soft keyboard picking out a simple yet effective tune while drums & bass keep themselves obvious yet hidden. A middle phrase fades the music out to allow distant air raid sirens & marching feet access, themselves sounding surprisingly benign & soft, despite the obvious threat which may be associated with such sounds, At another point, aircraft are heard to fly over, heavy as laden bombers, gravid with potential death, yet again mellow & lacking any harsh threat. "Bakeout" opens with whistling sounds, African drums & singers through digital delay, sounding clear & effective. After a few moments of this the music, another effectively simple tune, kicks into life built up on a constant clicking rhythm & keyboards, various sounds are added effectively, creating something akin to JAN HAMMER's medium-fast incidental music. Before "Gillian In The Thundergarden" we have a short, sped-up piece of music which sounds like calliope or the olde Music Hall sound. The last track is a more passive, low-key and mysterious thing, sounding as it were built up on sustained DDL feedback rhythm (not harsh, but passive & persistant) over which is heard distant thunder & across which plays delicate spider's web guitar in filigree patterns. Various sounds join in, themselves adding to the mood of contemplative quietude. Side two opens with "Ten Year Mix", a breath of sound in the background through which grow various synthetics, gradually increasing in intensity, as if gaining confidence. It transforms into something akin to a slightly brighter version of the TWIN PEAKS incidental music. From here it chooses a slightly harsher, more machine-like phase, not grating, but energetic & repetitive. Once more it cycles around, using 'found' sounds akin to passing combine harvesters or tractors, before moving into a strange, slightly harsher piece with birdsong & repeating, mutilating synthetics. It is a long & complex piece, repeating sounds here & there, mostly passive, yet sometimes more harsh. One of the most impressive compositions by CACOPHONY '33' I've heard so far. "Panda Parade" is a composed instrumental, fairly simple, thin & minimal, yet with enough hidden devices to keep you listening, seeking out just what else is in there, Voice is used on this one, speaking one short phrase in punctuation. "Shoot The Ming" uses a more complicated, Oriental-sounding rhythm over which spoken voice is used. Lead instruments are a breathy flute-voiced synth, a percussive four-note sequence, chimes, bass synth & a variety of other sounds. It has a mellow, pacifying sound to it, warm & relaxing without deliberately setting out to achieve the effect. Finally comes "Flexion Finale", again a passive, warm sound mostly based on keyboards & thin but snappy drums, with samples & various sounds adding to the overall sustaining, flattened sound, As with so much of KEV's music, it takes it's time, creating tune when it wants to. Next up is another slow, grand instrumental, a large, complex-yet-simple piece, using vocal sounds, bells, breathy keyboards & synthetics mixed well back into the almost ritualistic music. Another great work from CACOPHONY '33' - If you're familiar with his/their music, this will not disappoint; if not, then give it a try. I'd place him in the area of PATTERNCLEAR (although less 'Poppy') or the music on the MOTORCADE label (although less dark). I still find his music pleasantly soporific - that's not criticism, but rather praise. I think you feel somehow safe with this music, and it triggers something akin to endorphin within you... maybe. Originally reviewed for Soft Watch.