Written by Ryan Stephenson
The man that needs no introductions but who I’m going to introduce anyway: Aidan Baker of Nadja. He’s been doing this for years now, and a quick check of Wiki will show you a massive list. I imagine its still missing a bit, too. Plurals, on the other hand, I have heard of, but never actually heard. So a composition between the two is bound to be interesting, to say the least. Collaborations between artist are always bound to produce a bit of the expected. They can also have surprises hidden inside. Lets have a listen and find out.
Those who are fans of Nadja for their heavy side, won’t be immediately drawn into the first track ‘Dead Foxes In The Street’. What they will find is a nice mix of xylophone in a few places (sampled or not, I’m not sure) synths and our usual drone elements. Listening from start to finish is actually quite pleasant and mind clearing. This is the kind of stuff you listen to during a walk on a rainy day, in the park reading a book or even sitting in your room staring at the ceiling.
Track number two, ‘Turning Children Into Mice’, is the heavier song on this album. Starting out very drone/bass heavy, my ears were vibrating with delight from the start. Hushed whispers and a jagged crackle pop up in the mix early on, setting the base for a little more disturbance in this song. As we progress forward, the sounds become overdriven and really pushed to the max. Also worth mentioning, the beginning five note repetition continues through almost the entire song, sans the last two minutes. At that point it becomes slowly plucked as an overtone to a man asking for help, and the voice of a little girl talking. A really good track, one that feels like a possible soundtrack to the day of red skies and aliens taking over.
A collaboration between two very good artists. I’ll admit, I’m not the most familiar with Plurals. But after hearing this I’m going to seek out all I can find and give them further listens. As far as Mr. Baker goes, I know his works with Nadja, but will now be digging further into his other works. I suggest you do the same for both artists.
This album is a continuation of the Latitudes series from Southern Records, again, something I recommend you seek out further, as I will do the same. Be sure to pick this release up. Support music and artists you love and enjoy.
(((DRONE)))
