(06.06.07) Stendeck turned a few heads with the release of “can you hear my call.” Comparisons to Gridlock were fairly obvious and while it was an excellent album there was some concern, at least in my mind, as to where he would take it next. After all, another album of more of the same just wouldn’t cut the mustard.
So here we have Stendecks 2nd album. And has there been some kind of musical progression? By god yes! Stendeck’s Faces is starting to show the individual, well… face, of Stendeck. And it’s a great face indeed. Occasionally you will still get a taste of Gridlock but it’s very clear that he is forging his own road now, the fat pads and melodies are still there but the drums, construction and general feel has changed quite a lot. In fact the whole album has a really positive feel to it which is something that tends to woefully lack in a lot of albums in this genre.
Faces is a long album. At 17 tracks you might think that it might be a little too much to swallow but the whole album has such a great flow to it that it carries you through with complete enjoyment and satisfaction. With tracks like the powerful and melodic “Like falling crystals” and the excellent organic pad harmonies on “Steal flowers to make drugs” it’s almost easy to forget about the great gritty rhythms and (if I’m not mistaken) real instruments such as guitars that fill out this album. But these are merely details, the important thing is the feel and in this the album excels. It’s a paradoxically both simple and complex album like a crystal chandelier and conjures up similar imagery while listening to it with that distorted but clean and patterned feel that binds the album together.
Faces has pretty much been on repeat on my MP3 player and has not become boring once. I recommend this to anyone who loves melodic and gritty IDM.
Faces is out now on Geska. [Purchase
