Lau Nau's Celestial Minimalism And Packmember Angel's Infernal Techno

Lau Nau, "Amphipoda II" (sound/phonics)

Lau Nau (aka musician/singer Laura Naukkarinen) has been a major figure on Finland's underground music scene since 2004, recording on the country's premier label Fonal (as well as US premium labels Locust Music and Beacon Sound). His music, though rooted in folk ballad form, can reach neoclassical/chamber orchestral grandeur but occasionally falls into dissension. At times it seems like he could jump into one of the groovy ballads featured on the Wicker Man soundtrack at any moment. Lau Nau's soft voice exudes a calm intimacy and restrained air, a perfect complement to her enchanting melodies, similar to those of Juana Molina and Gruper. Lau Nau's is the sound of small pleasures perhaps best enjoyed in bed late at night.

On her ninth studio album 5×4, Lau Nau shows her penchant for minimalist electronic composers such as Laurie Spiegel, Pauline Anna Strom and Suzanne Ciani. Recorded on the venerable Buchla 200 system at Stockholm's Electronmusikstudion, the recording may lack the understated warmth of earlier works, but it demonstrates Lau Nau's mastery of analogue synthesis. "Pleomothra" could serve as a bridge between Lau Nau's anthemic endeavors and a synthesizer-driven track where Naukkarinen coos dreamily in a way that splits the difference between My Bloody Valentine's Bilinda Butcher and Cocteau Twins' Liz Fraser with wistful horns. . the horn sounded. On "Cecilia," Lau Nau takes his angelic vocals over the top, shrieking and screaming. It's like Mort Garson's remake of 10CC's I'm Not in Love but with a singer of course.

Two of the most interesting subdivisions are "Hyperiidea" and "Calanticomorpha". The first uses punctuation and insists on building suspense, like a sophisticated thriller soundtrack. The latter produces a series of sounds and tremors, in the same tantalizing order as everything by Philip Glass.

The album's climax is "Amphipoda II," which expands into a rich palette of crystalline musical notes, whose soaring tones amplify a swelling, haunting hum. Hearing this makes me feel like stepping into a futuristic alarm clock designed to wake you from your eternal sleep. The more you hear it, the different it feels. Heaven Can Wait

Member of the Angel Pack, Abyss Zone

Packmember Angel is the latest solo venture from Chicago-via-Seattle musician Jordan Rundle, and his debut album Dungeon Duty is a remarkable achievement. To those familiar with the former synth/sampler/guitarist of Seattle's top mid-2010s band, the Newaxeyes, and later solo act Leash, this comes as no surprise.

As you may recall, the Newaxeyes produced a heavy, multilingual sound that reflected the diverse musical tastes of its four members. The constant friction of their technical impulses and the combination of electronics and traditional rock instrumentation like guitar and bass result in a catchy track with intense percussive power, unusual textures and melodic grace.

Now alone and moving to a new city, Rundle manages to integrate all of his musical inclinations into a personal vision. In Dungeon Duty he combines wild, brutal dubstep maneuvers with clumsy songs and soulful vibes, an IDM-crazy world with catchy ballads (see "Alles vir Almal" and "Dogs and Ponies"; the latter fits perfectly between Matthew and Dero). Jimmy Edgar). Newaxeyes didn't like the move, but pack member Angel now aimed at Minds and Hearts .

The Rundle domain appears in the Remember? column. whose incredibly boomy jazz drumming with pitch-shifting vocals and disappearing into the ether sounds like an American take on Squarepusher's version of the jungle, and "Dice Theory," a smooth post-dubstep slide somewhere between Rusty and Otto von Schirach. The psychedelic mood of "On the Lawn" is a nice change.

But “Abyssal Zone” is the album's pinnacle, an awe-inspiring journey into the vast lairs of techno-noise robots. Its rhythm is very reminiscent of techno Animal Brotherhood of Bombs , the blockbuster record that should have been out on 9/11. The title "Abyssal Zone" might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the song is so good it doesn't matter. It's the end of the world as we know it and we feel like we're screwing something up.