This is much more involved than I thought it would be. That's not to say that I was expecting something simple and straightforward. I knew it would be some sort of experimental electronics that I assumed would lean in a more ambient direction, and that is indeed the case, however there is a great deal more musical structure and atmosphere than I had anticipated. The tracks consists not only of smooth, ethereal synth tones, but also a wide range of programmed percussion (including everything from tribal sounds to scarcely techno tones), excellently integrated samples that are often rather long, and at times things take a very melodic turn - occasionally making it hard to tell whether or not traditional instrumentation is involved or not (as opposed to synth harmonies and other such musical elements). "In This Final Fleeting Second of Life" uses some acoustic guitars, "(I Am Not A) Coward" seems to employ some pitch shifted vocals, and "Still Humpin' the American Dream" brings in some obvious feedback from a stringed instrument. The title track closes things out - a massive 24-minute epic in five parts: "(a) Declaration", "(b) Soon it'll All Change", "(c) Entropy", "(d) Any Day Now", and "(e) Hymn". More subtle stringed instruments are used (Guitar and bass?) in addition to piano and the usual synths - sometimes creating an almost psychedelic sort of progressive rock tinge. There are no samples in this piece, but it definitely covers a lot of ground. It's not exactly as forceful as some of the other songs, but it's surely diverse. I like the ending. Just when the synths start to get annoyingly repetitive things explode with some wild percussion that really kicks in the momentum. In general the compositions are very sinister, but incredibly powerful. As far as this type of menacing experimental ambient material is concerned this is among the most commanding releases I've ever experienced. I think the rhythmic nature of the material has a lot to do with it, because the percussion really adds a great deal of intensity to the pieces. I also enjoy the fact that every song runs together seamlessly, so the listen is never interrupted or broken up. The perfectly clear, deep, and loud recording helps out as well. It's really quite flawless in that department. The layout consists largely of spacey computer-generated textures with a little bit of dulled down color (purple, green, etc.), and I think the back cover is probably the best portion. Inside are the track titles with similar textures and a lot of collaged imagery that ties in with the names of the songs. I don't particularly care for the way this looks because a lot of the images are of varying degrees of clarity/quality, and it can look a little bit sloppy at times, which contrasts the smooth appearance of the outer booklet, but it's not a huge problem. This is an excellent piece of work. I'll definitely have to pick up some of First Law's other work based on the strength of this CD.
[Loki]
Running time - 68:56, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: In This Final Fleeting Second of Life, A Generation Wasted, (I Am Not A) Coward, "The End of the World"-Concept]
Loki Foundation - http://www.loki-found.de
