28th November 11
RECOMMENDED: Baconhead – Astro Sludge EP [Eat Concrete]
Posted in Reviews
Without fully deviating into written territory that dissects what a playful/dumb/joke moniker can do for you and the public reception of your recorded output, let me say that Baconhead are on the eve of putting out their debut EP for the Eat Concrete label. And whatever their band name might or might not suggest to you, it becomes pretty inconsequential when you hear a track as rounded as ‘Black Cherry’ or ‘Blaze Out’. The combined work of producers Ebola and Autobee, Baconhead have themselves have floated the notion that they are “making music to confuse your brain” and perhaps the name contributes to that, giving you a preconception that tells little of the lushness they’re capable of; but whatever. I’m over it.
Astro Sludge as it stands is quite the indicative title for a collection of music that draws from a lot of different places at once (the astro suggests something well travelled and the sludge purports to the guttural sense of place and bass). It’s low slung, incredibly accomplished and comes toting a production style as inventive as when Jehst came out with the sci-fi quagmire funk of Nuke Proof Suit after his knack of straight sampling on, Falling Down. The slow plod like stomp of ‘Dexter Ward’, for instance, is introduced by this incredible pseudo-live bass riff that screeches up skyward, guided by laser like synths that oscillate wildly before it cuts out to the bass and drums. There’s a knowing level of sonics present, one that feeds of the Mogwai quiet verse-loud chorus-quiet verse-wall of noise/loud chorus approach. It’s like the pomp of the opening gambit is amplified eccentrically before the effectiveness of that simple bass and drum work. It’s a fantastic reverse drop.
Elsewhere ‘Brainglue’ features the lyrical nous of Toronto’s Mindbender, a rapper whose rasp seems to match the tonality and quelled aggression of the bassline perfectly. And whilst it’s a great and fitting collaboration the closing tracks make more of an impact, even with their semi lethargic lean. ‘Black Cherry’’s hyper run out synth delays come after a shower of stretched bass stabs, knowingly adding a little bit of fluidity to an otherwise juddery beat and ‘Blaze Out’ hits high like the big finish – flourishing from the first kick drum. Propelled by synth rushes that swell into each snare drum, it’s the most uplifting piece on the EP, purposefully making a point of using those 8 bit ‘coin up’ chops sparsely and amplifying that perfect moment of silence that comes just after the snare hits.
Words: Oli Marlow // Out: 1st December 2011
