Attached to the singular process of degradation—evoking memory, loss, and the inevitable corruption of time—and looped patterns but brightly coupled to soothing ambient lines and oceanic shimmering sequences which attenuate the ominous purpose and turns it in something dreamlike.
A bizarre, vaporous, and hauntological vibe
400 Lonely thing is one mysterious sound art project and sampledelia manifest with roots in aethereal psycho-navigations. Certainly one of the most interesting experimental electronic projects, thanks to the releases published on Cold Spring Records which made an excellent impression. I recently discovered that this project has been around for decades, originally formed in the late ’80s by Craig Varian and Jonathan McCall. Their albums are all excellent and ideal for those who enjoy trippy, thrilling electronic music with a bizarre, vaporous, and hauntological vibe.
In this new record titled Subdivisions, the project is still attached to the singular process of degradation—evoking memory, loss, and the inevitable corruption of time—and looped patterns but brightly coupled to soothing ambient lines and oceanic shimmering sequences which attenuate the ominous purpose and turns it in something dreamlike. Uneasy meditative darkness in cold waters of neurodegenerative life extinction but also with unexpected luminous and lulling moments.
Subdivisions carries on the path of previous releases with an addition of new ideas to enhance their taciturn, menacing, cryptic, and inevitably grieving electronic dirge. I imagine this could be marvelously adapted as a score for a weird supernatural Lynchian movie, counter-culture films by Toshio Matsumoto or narrative ones linked to paramnesia or memorial ground (notably thinking of a few filmic essays directed by Guy Maddin). This album is welcome and published by the exceptionally productive and consistent Unexplained Sounds Group.
Highly recommended. Similar extra corporeal and ghostly-reflective experience to Tape Loop orchestra, Machinefabriek, Philip Jeck, Dabid Granström, Secret Pyramid, Slow Walker with an almost decaying neurotic-post industrial gloominess that Maurizio Bianchi and Drew Mulholland won’t deny.
Subdivisions is available on Unexplained Sounds Group. [Bandcamp]
