5ive's Continuum Research Project "The Hemophiliac Dream" CD
[Tortuga]
Only 5ive would drop a two-track CD EP that runs longer than most bands' full-lengths do these days. Staring off with the epic 23-minute title track, this is the calmest, most ambient, and most unstructured material I've ever heard from the group. No distortion, very little percussion (mostly some cymbal fades), etc. Around the five-minute mark things start to take form as concrete riffs become evident alongside tangible percussion and hummed vocals. A few minutes later some totally fuzzed out and overdriven distortion kicks in and then it's full speed ahead: Plodding rhythms, hypnotic repetition, thundering bass drones, the whole shebang. Things start to quiet down a bit 13 minutes or so in, at which point the psychedelic 70's rock influences start to become a bit more noticeable as the rhythm section remains steadfast while the guitars wander off into noisier territory. From there on out the song sort of cycles through its various phases again in condensed form before it comes to a close very quietly, not unlike it began. The second track is an untitled 14-minute remix handled by none other than James Plotkin. It's fairly minimal as far as layering goes, and the textures are very spacious, switching up from bright ringing tones to low, rumbling bass. I really like the way that the sounds are arranged in a very rhythmic fashion, though. The piece really picks up when some of the calmer portions of the guitars and bass appear in barely altered form amidst some sinister sweeping textures and a rattling percussive arrangement just before an explosive burst of the musical composition appears beneath some heavy effects. Both tracks are also recorded perfectly for what they offer in my opinion. There's a great level of detail in the mix, all of the tones are nice and warm... I have no complaints. The CD comes very nicely housed in an interestingly folded digipack sleeve printed entirely in black ink on matte metallic silver paper. All of the imagery is a repeating abstract texture that looks like some sort of moving light pattern. Very appropriate. The insert is equally as simple but equally as bold, using brightly metallic silver foil lettering on a square of matte blue paper. Very nice. I certainly don't enjoy this as much as "The Telestic Disfracture" full-length, but it's a solid listen, and I think the addition of the remix was a great decision. (7/10)
Running time - 36:36, Tracks: 2
[Notable tracks: both are very well done]
Tortuga Recordings - http://www.tortugarecordings.com

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