Anklebiter – Raintree

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Tanner Volz is the man behind electronic and IDM artist Anklebiter, bringing us his third release in as many years with Raintree. For the next hour we are treated to aural delights; ambient melancholia and synth a staple of most of what we hear. The album kicks off with “Homonymic” and swirls and ethereal tones of strings. It’s a gentle awakening, to which industrial drums enter slowly. There’s a suffocating aura to this track as it progresses, and it’s negativity we’ve not seen the last off in this release. Echoing piano bass notes holding a haunting melody begin “Nested”, reminding me of a lesser known artist in Blah Kesto, and this builds and gives way to high pitched space synth, rolling high and low volumes. Again we are short of breath – no space is vacant – like the instruments are sucking the air from the speakers when the industrial reverbed drums enter.

“When Your Ghosts Outnumber your Living” is one of the highlights of this release, Volz confidence rightly placed in it by releasing it prior to the album landing. It starts in a similar vein to its predecessors, with a kindly awakening and percussive action before hitting us with a bounding melody and droning synth – this is one you may be sad to hear come to an end. There’s positivity on this track which is followed through to “Clever Drunk” which after an initial slow start turns into an all-round more upbeat affair. “The Lazy Pioneers” is a playful number layered on a solemn violin reprise. Chiming notes juxtapose deep bass synth lending to another lifting in emotions – welcome relief from the album’s opening numbers.

The album takes its darkest form in the industrially lathered “Feature Creep”, with Venetian Snares style glitch to start, with plenty of tension at the forefront. This industrial sound remains for “The Best People” which is the most uncomfortable listen on the album with constant distortion making it quite a suffocating experience. This reviewer’s pick of the album is the beautiful “Colorado Recursion” and it’s fair to say it serves as a reward for those who have endured much of the tracks before. Swells of delayed guitars akin to Lowercase Noises coupled with simple drum pad ease instrumentation in and out seamlessly. Album closer and title track “Raintree” plods slowly on a backdrop of more industrialised bedlam, coming full circle back to our starting point with erratic and quirky glitches, and a suffocating calm to finish.

- Lewis Woods

The Best Pessimist - Love Is… [7/10]

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The visuals for an album can often be ambiguous or misleading, bearing no resemblance to the aural contents therein. In the case of Love Is… however , it’s obvious we might well be partaking in a bit of levitating. This release from Ukrainian musician and composer Sergey Lunev follows on from where 2010’s To Whom It May Concern left off and by doing so he has ensured he can’t go far wrong, with his mix of piano led ambient anthems proving an attractive offering. There is something very endearing about the whole package of Lunev’s The Best Pessimist; from the thoughtful scenic artwork, to the gently named tracks like “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” - there’s a welcoming aura before we even take a listen.

Glacial tones welcome us to title track Love Is… settling us in with ambient chimes, and we are instantly adrift. As the track progresses programmed drums and a single guitar line build and swell to a choral climax. “Closeness” is a darker affair, looming guitar line akin to Aesthesys or I Am Waiting For You Last Summer, with plodding drums and tremolo guitar and fade to piano for the first time on this release. “We Made Our History” returns us to a brighter, more hopeful place; starting with a beautiful piano melody and American Dollar rippling of electronic drums into an altogether surprising and frantic drum and lead section, all overlaid on ambient swell keeping us light on our feet.

The album’s middle section comprises “Above The Fog” (Parts 1 and 2) which begin like a Lowercase Noises track, rising up through the fog, until bass and drums enter pushing the track on. Piano takes a back seat on Part 1, giving more prominence to effected guitar hooks, the result of which gives a sound similar to Moonlit Sailor or Dorena. Part 2 sees the piano return briefly, octave melody complimenting echoing guitars with celestial qualities when they harmonise to great effect.

“December 2, 1000” is an album highlight, piano melody and droning bass must be listened at a volume where the bass pounds you in the chest to appreciate fully. This track has a combination of the neoclassical, the electronic and the ambient, at times sounding like a slowed up version of “Red Paper Lanterns” from Maybeshewill. Each track is afforded time and space to increase naturally, instruments given time to solidify the melody before a new addition. The album closes with the beautifully named “The Most Cold Winter” conjuring up imagery of snow filled fields, and this is a more sombre affair to finish, taking a foray into straight post rock territory one more time before the end.

So as we succumb to gravity and return to terra firma once again, at the end of an uplifting journey, we are left wanting to take it all over again. I recommend you do. My guess is, if you go again you’ll find something different and find The Best Pessimist even more endearing than he already is.

- Lewis Woods

Ambient constructed from sounds of Egyptian Protesters

Egyptian Protest Ambient by Fluorescent Grey