20 October 2018

Himukalt - Knife Through The Spine

Νεκροτομειο. 

  After a few releases on high estimated labels, Ester Kärkkäinen's first full-length sounds exactly like its title. Sharp, gritty and to the point.
 Her sound is a hybrid of unhinged power electronics blended with a post-mortem stench, including minimal layering, throbbing synths and obsessive loops. The heavily flanged vocals, interwined into the rotting fabric of the music, are spliced into chunks of indecipherable murmurs and visceral shrieks. Don't make a mistake though and think of Himukalt as another clone of the usual PE terrorists. This is a strictly personal and original statement, a detailed depiction of self-loathing, as Kärkkäinen is mapping her psyche in front of us, channeling her negativity into an impressive album. 

Knife Through The Spine LP (Malignant Records - 2018)

09 October 2018

Jóhann Jóhannsson - Mandy O.S.T

 Οταν ο Nicolas Cage σφαγιαζει μηχανοβιους απο την κολαση, εμεις, οι κοινοι θνητοι, οφειλουμε να προσκυναμε νυχθημερον μπροστα στο οραμα του Panos Cosmatos, το οποιο ομως δεν αντεξε το βαρος του hype και απλα παρακολουθησαμε επι δυο ωρες τον Cage να μαζευει ολες τις υπερβολες του πανω σ' ενα σπασμενο τζαμι και να τις σνιφαρει με τη μια. 
 Για το μονο πραγμα που θα θυμηθω το Mandy στο τελος της χρονιας ειναι για τον αυτοσαρκασμο του και φυσικα για τη μουσικη επενδυση του Jóhann Jóhannsson που απο μονη της ειναι ικανη να σε βγαλει στο δρομο πασαλειμμενο με αιματα κραδαινοντας δρεπανια και τσεκουρια.    

Mandy is a psychedelic eye candy, with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, like a moving heavy metal album cover, full of gore, hand-crafted axes and satanic drugs. So, that means the music is a fist-pumpin', beer-chuggin' riff rock anthology? Fortunately, no. I wouldn't stand a second in front of another self aware b-movie with "ironic" tunes. Fuck that shit.
 Jóhannsson's posthumous soundtrack subverted the expectations which come naturally if you think about the whole art-house horror box that Mandy fits perfectly in, and escaped from all the unavoidable tropes, even if he used the mandatory synth melody on the only sentimental scene of the film, or the metal drone of Stephen O' Malley, whose appearance verges on self-deprecation. This soundtrack singlehandedly elevates the movie from an Evil Dead on drugs parody into a world that you need to experience.

Mandy O.S.T. CD/LP (Invada / Lakeshore Records - 2018)
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