Overall, Cast Down And Hunted is a powerful release where I doubt I’ll ever play the B-side again; because it’s THAT powerful! But that A-Side might well end up on a ‘best of’ year list.
Angular and dark, droney and lush
It will be a while before it gets released in the open, but we just couldn’t wait to get this review to you. Moving Furniture Records from Amsterdam is releasing this 12″ vinyl with both sides completely maxed out on what is possible time and frequency-wise. This is a 2023 collaboration between Canadian multi-instrumentalist (emphasis on ‘mental‘) Aidan Baker and the Dutch Dynamic Duo Dead Neanderthals.
We all know Aidan’s work solo and, very possibly, his collaborations and side projects. If not, you kinda should be ashamed for not knowing it, or you should simply be proud for being hidden under that rock for so damn long. Reading the promo made me wonder why his bio mentioned that he worked with people like Tim Hecker, and I asked if Tim Hecker’s bio would say the same thing. Dead Neanderthals are a whole different story. This Dutch duo with drums and sax has been active for over a decade, throwing anything towards the audience, from deep drone doom to improvised jazz, grindcore and general psychedelia.
“Cast Down and Hunted” is a weird one. Two sides measuring 20 and 21 minutes in length carried the titles “Subterfuge” (A) and “Paranoia” (B). “Subterfuge” (is it a ‘fuge’?) is a deep droning and throbbing piece. It’s filled with a guitar ambience from Aiden, like what we know him for, and Rene from D.N. adds ultra-slow rhythms, giving it just enough coherence to be considered a rhythm. The waveform of Otto’s sax is perfectly moulded into uniformity with Aidan’s guitar, and the result is a really fantastic piece that would make me visit the Roadburn festival.
Side B is called “Paranoid,” and it is for a reason. The opening dissonant sax sounds are pushed towards the front and generate uneasiness. Maybe restless would be a better word. The drums are more steady and constant—and faster—but it’s also way less attractive as it’s a steady kick over and over. But everywhere you listen, there are the sax sounds, and they are not those luscious bass sounds you just hear on the reverse side of the album. Aidan’s additions to this collaboration are less obvious, but you’ll find them all if you listen carefully. The title is fitting because the whole track will make you uncomfortable. Which is—if you realize music is capable of doing so—a compelling thing. But instead of getting paranoid, I prefer to be fed another emotion.
Overall, Cast Down And Hunted is a powerful release where I doubt I’ll ever play the B-side again; because it’s THAT powerful! But that A-Side might well end up on a ‘best of’ year list.
Review by: Bauke van der Wal / Vital Weekly #1445. Reprinted with permission.
Note: No guitars are featured on this album; Aidan Baker plays sax and Otto Kokke plays synths.
Cast Down And Hunted is available on Moving Furniture. [Bandcamp]
