PIQSIQ
Legends
self-released
We tend not to cover much music which could be said to fall into traditional folk categories on this site, but the combination of haunting moods and timbral experimentation Inuit throat singing duo PIQSIQ bring to their Legends LP should certainly appeal to fans of a wide range of ethereal artists. Made up of pieces dedicated to specific figures and creatures from Inuit myth and culture, Legend‘s compositions are built upon the interplay between Inuksuk Mackay and Tiffany Ayalik’s voices as they alternate between deep, resonant throat song and more melodic tones which glide over that foundation. Beyond the sheer vocal range and talent on display, PIQSIQ do a wonderful job of communicating the spirit (if not the literal stories) of the figures they’re working with, building tension, colour, and catharsis in short order on a per track basis. In addition, the duo’s voices in isolation the instrumentation on the record never overshadows the vocals but always frames their mood well: note the way watery ambience blurs into percussion on “Nuliajuk: Goddess of the Sea”, or how traditional Inuit drumming blends with downtempo breaks on “Amautalik: Giantess”. On the other side of things, the suitably grand, regal, and bombastic arrangement of “Nanurluk: The Giant Bear” is far brighter, but again keeps the piece’s reverent vocals in the spotlight.
A Perfect Error
Time Machines
Re:Mission Entertainment
Cory Gorski has never been an easy musician to pin down; from the early 16 bit take on electro-industrial in the now inactive Volt 9000, through explorations of abstract electronics, grungey rock and even further afield sounds, the Canadian producer has always had a restless experimentalism in his work. The new EP from his A Perfect Error project follows in those footsteps, serving up electronics that are half-pop, half-prog and possessed of their creators incredibly unique sensibility. Where the title track kicks off with a bass synth lick that could have been the basis for a standard issue club stomper, it’s not long before vocaloids, distorted orchestral samples and Gorski’s own disaffected vocals take it into much stranger territory. Similarly, “Pieces” has the bones of a minimal bit of synthpunk in it’s groovy downtempo programming, but its melody is barely suggested, programmed through incredibly brief snatches of sound that cut off microseconds after they start, leaving only the bassline to tell the tale. Any of these cuts, from the laidback and nasty funk and awkward falsetto combo of “Stick Around” (which features a wild sax solo outro) to the discordant orchestra-falling-down-the-stairs-in-slow-motion of “Everything It Shuts Down” could have been played straight, but is all the better for Gorski twisting into a more peculiar form. As if to prove the point, the EP’s version of Mick Smiley’s “Magic” (a cut famous for appearing on the Ghostbusters soundtrack) is played largely straight, albeit with some appropriately eighties hi-fi percussion and a more downbeat vibe – it’s Gorski showing he knows the musical rules he’s choosing to bend.
