After the fragile delicacy and intricate construction of Xela’s For Frosty Mornings And Summer Nights, the distorted and disrupted supernatural transmission that was Deru’s Pushing Air and the tintinnabulations of Verbose’s Observe comes Cottage Industries 3: Vestibule & Separate.
As the last in the Cottage Industries compilation series, the transition to Vestibule & Separate – its confusing oddities aside, (entries from Don Mennerich, Pandatone and Greg Davis are nothing more than baffling), represents something of an end of an era for the label. The somber but reverent tone of the compilation seems to poignantly reflect this. The compilation also reflects the greater involvement of John Xela – a number of the contributions come from artists with pending releases on Xela’s newly founded Type label.
The music presented here is characterized by considered melodic timing and delicately crafted production as well as the inclusion of acoustic instruments in many tracks.
Julien Neto’s sombre, introspective “Voy” features vaulted synth pads that shiver beneath cloistered, minimal and heavily reverbed percussive elements that create one of the most atmospheric and mournful pieces here. Helios delivers the introspective, dreamlike “Hatsu-Yume,” a truly entrancing piano solo playing sonorously to a funereal marching beat set against the call of seagulls and waves hitting the shore.
Rod’s offering is reminiscent of the more laid back electronic pop released by the Morr Music label whilst Apparat’s “Riding” evokes classic Boards of Canada fused with an always-returning and distorted melodic refrain, electrostatic percussion and the breathy vocals of Mirit Posch.
RJ Valeo’s “Filter” sounds oddly out of place, sharing little stylistically with the other tracks presented here but is no less impressive for it. My advice would be to invest in RJ Valeo’s September album recently released on the stylish new Type label to hear the track in a much more appropriate context.
Xela is the master craftsman here – as usual – providing the most successful fusion of acoustic instruments and distorted electronica. “This Moment Will Last a Lifetime” illustrates once again his keen ear for emotional melody and atmospheric, evocative production.
Xela and Metamatics deliver the closing coda to the Cottage Industries series, the sonically perfect “Vestibule and Separate.” Neo Ouija have announced a forthcoming Xela and Metamatics album and if the content is anything like this, it’s going to be yet another classic offering from the label.
When compared with it’s predecessors Cottage Industries 3: Vestibule & Seperate may at times resemble the product of a label like City Centre Offices more than that of Neo Ouija but it’s certainly the finest and most successful compilation of the three. It marks the beginning of a new direction for the label, and it seems there is much to look forward to.
Cottage Industries 3: Vestibule & Seperate is OUT NOW on Neo Ouija.
