“Fuzzy doom shoegaze dreamsludge” is a hell of a lot of words to use in order to describe a band, however, Berlin based Canadian duo Nadja require just that to describe the soundscapes they’ve been crafting over the last 16 years. ‘Luminous Rot’ is the first album of theirs that has actually used a producer (David Pajo), as a result this record is not only their most polished sounding to date, but also their most accessible. Nadja have benefitted immensely from having someone to help sand off the edges and keep things concise.
There are expansive passages of drone that would rival that of label mates Sunn O))), however, they are interspersed between Goth tinged industrial and edgy sounding moments of post punk. Every track is drenched in distortion, rendering the guitars to a mechanical buzz with just enough rhythm to drive the songs forward. For the majority of this opus the vocals have been placed so low in the mix that they’re almost imperceptible, which lends a dreamy, ethereal quality to some of the more difficult to digest fractions. It’s an interesting listen and there’s a certain charm to never being able to anticipate what will come next.
‘Luminous Rot’ is essentially a modern day collision of Boris and Sonic Youth played at 33rpm. It’s languid, dirty and ambitiously experimental without veering off into pretentiousness, which a lot of bands within the realm of drone/ambient often fall victim to, and at just 47 minutes it doesn’t outstay its welcome either. This record will certainly be divisive for existing fans, as it’s incredibly different from anything they’ve released previously; however, this is sure to attract plenty of new listeners too, as they branch out and explore new territory.
(6/10 Angela Davey)
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