Fractions
POSTCLUB
Misguided
The brief on Czech duo Fractions’ new EP PostClub is right in the title; eschewing the DJ friendly techno-EBM of their earlier material the EP’s four tracks are certainly danceable, but eschew easy categorization. “Bang the Drum” sets the tempo for the release with speedy drum-programming and buzzing octave bass, and processed vocals moving at breakneck speed towards it’s damnably catchy chorus which recalls the mid-2000s nu-rave sounds the duo have held up as an influence. “Unchained” follows suit with a nimble verse section that quickly escalates into a jungle of fat bass, pitched cymbals, and syncopated vocals, sounding more punkish and crunchy with each new layer of noise added to the mix. “Panelka” contrasts that rock-like approach with a more downbeat vocal, using bass and guitar sounds – either real or sampled, it doesn’t matter – to invoke the emo-isms of their earlier single “Light”. Finishing off with a guest turn from vocalist Ushko who half-raps her way through the jittery synths and iceberg reverbs of “Boy” in fast forward, the EP does a bang-up job establishing what Fractions’ new approach is all about; adrenaline-rush speed with big choruses, and no compromises.
Jimmy Svensson
Beyond The Black
self-released
As part of scraping experimentalists Alvar and in his own punishing EBM as Nuclear Sludge, Swedish producer Jimmy Svensson’s no stranger to extremity. It’s that background which makes his first moves under his own name since dissolving Nuclear Sludge so interesting, as the decidedly moody Beyond The Black keeps things minimal and spare while still transmitting waves of dread. With a loose theme of drifting into the void of space, the throbbing pulses and lightly textured pings of pieces like “Distant Signal” and “The Void Between” do the job establishing tension just by virtue of their well-timed builds and drop-offs amidst the faintest of drones. While care’s obviously been taken with the sound design, it’s really the subtlety of the arrangements Svensson weaves which emerges over repeat listenings, with no element feeling excessive or unremarkable. Over the course of the record what accounts for the ‘heavier’, or at least more overtly alien sounds and drones slip away, though their mood doesn’t. Tracks like “Dark Frequency” and “Final Transmission” which close out the record are sparse and impressionistic yet carry the same eerie sense that runs through nominally busier earlier pieces. Quietly disquieting, Beyond The Black feels all the more impressive for eliding so much of the volume Svensson’s traded in in the past.
