What’s left to consume on Smaida Greizi Nakamiba is an abrupt ebb and disjointed flow of brittle melodic bursts buried underneath a cacophonous stream of clipped percussion, broken synths, erratic rhythms and torn layers of ambient, drone and industrial shadows.
Oyaarss (aka Latvian-raised Arvīds Laivinieks) returns with his sophomore release for Berlin’s Ad Noiseam following Bads‘ heavy electronic debris. Smaida Greizi Nakamiba apparently was a 2011 demonstration audio document for this multi-skilled musician and what’s left to consume is an abrupt ebb and disjointed flow of brittle melodic bursts buried underneath a cacophonous stream of clipped percussion, broken synths, erratic rhythms and torn layers of ambient, drone and industrial shadows. Doing away with grindcore or breakcore taglines—these apocalyptic sonic beasts also reflect on windows of calm entities.
Piano solos pierce through a haze of mangled yet somehow organized chaos. “Klusums, tveice, lietusgaze” contains a roughened rhythmic crunch and “Lidojums pari mijkreslim (w/ Mahi Bukimi)” is a tranquilized soundtrack breaking point for the hardened crust of this release. “Bads esmu esi” reveals an industrial technoid construction glued to Middle-Eastern motifs. “Skrandas (w/ Nauris Bruvelis)” is a calmed sliver of glitchy data strands and “Vienaldzigo parmainu muzika (w/ Edgars Raginskis)” progress’ with light piano keys clearing the cumulonimbus clouds. There’s quite a bit to digest from start to end. “Ibumetins sagurušai dveselei” reflects a dubstep aura of scavenged landscapes—its scrapping bass and beats mangle to no end with scattered ambient undertones. Not forgetting the title track, it is a submerged bass opus of emotive post-industrial treatments, grittiness and abrasive marching percussion which surrounds the entire release in a very well-oiled demo-turned-proper-release. The future smiling wryly—the meaning of the title—is an apt and positive spin to the cover artworks’ distressed cityscape.
Smaida Greizi Nakamiba is available on Ad Noiseam. [Release page]
