Back in stock: Industrial/Noise

Review: Karl D'Silva's debut album, Love Is A Flame In The Dark, is an evocative exploration of sound that challenges conventional boundaries. Over two years of recording, D'Silva has created a compelling landscape where industrial grit meets tender melodies. Self-recorded in Rotherham and meticulously mixed in Leeds by Ross Halden, this album stands as a testament to D'Silva's ability to craft a distinctive pop language rooted in a post-industrial ethos. The album resonates with a sense of urgency and raw emotional depth. Drawing from influences as varied as Cabaret Voltaire and Nine Inch Nails, D'Silva's music is a fusion of inventive sound design and earnestness. Tracks like 'Wild Kiss' showcase thunderous percussion intertwined with D'Silva's commanding voice, while 'Flowers Start To Cry' marries aggressive drum programming with a haunting falsetto, evoking comparisons to Nine Inch Nails' visceral production style but with a unique, personal twist. Throughout Love Is A Flame In The Dark, D'Silva's versatility is evident. 'On The Outside' offers a soundscape of synths and saxophone, echoing the adventurous spirit of late 60s Free Jazz. 'Entropy' stands out with its expansive synth pop, while 'Nowhere Left To Run' weaves a narrative of light emerging from darkness with its midi-string orchestration. D'Silva's voice, a soulful rasp from his early medical history, imbues the music with a fearless yet tender quality. This album captures a journey from darkness into light, reflecting D'Silva's profound connection to his craft and the emotional weight of his experiences.

Review: Divine Comedie stands as a remarkable collaboration between Bernard Parmegiani and Francois Bayle, released by Recollection GRM as a comprehensive four-LP set, complete with a poster. This ambitious work draws inspiration from Dante's epic, offering a sonic journey through hell, purgatory, and paradise. Parmegiani's segment, representing Inferno, is an intense exploration of anguish and contradiction. Composed between 1971 and 1972, it features piercing synth whirs, haunting vocal chants and insect-like sounds that evoke a sense of despair. His careful manipulation of Michel Hermon's voice serves to anchor the chaotic soundscape while simultaneously distorting the narrative. This approach results in a chilling audio experience that combines surreal sound design with an almost theatrical presentation. In contrast, Bayle's Purgatory embraces a minimalist aesthetic, employing Hermon's voice with a sense of clarity amidst an intricate layering of abstract sounds. His composition reveals a bleak serenity, punctuated by flickers of hope that emerge from a rich mixture of drones and organic instrumentation. The final album, Paradis, is a collaborative effort that gradually leads listeners toward illumination. Stripped of narration, this 22-minute piece unfolds slowly, interweaving delicate electronics with celestial vibes and vibrant accordion melodies, culminating in an ethereal crescendo. Together, Parmegiani and Bayle create an audio experience that challenges conventional boundaries, transforming Dante's vision into a wonderful exploration of sound and emotion, making Divine Comedie a significant addition to the genre of musique concrete.