Cineploit, the label run by ex-Pungent Stencher Alex has a mission statement of primarily releasing Cinematic Music and Italian Genre Film. Naturally this involves some fantastic and at times strange material, which although united by a common sensibility delivers some obscurities ranging from crime slime / Poliziotteschi and Giallo films to his own act Lawa, paying tribute to their soundtracks. I was notified on that front, that a new album by them is on the way and am certainly looking forward to it.
In the meantime, we have the follow up to the space oddity Kosmonauter by Pan/Scan which is the project from Christian Rezchak of the Band Sospetto. Having sent us into space with that, we now find ourselves with a narrative that involves telekinetic experiments in secret underground laboratories and the opening of gates to new worlds. It does sound like a long-lost Italian post-apocalyptic film (although many of these are thankfully being rediscovered), along with a splash of Cronenbergian Scanners and the series of books I am currently immersed in; The Deathlands saga (James Axler and various). It’s a great listening companion to these too although considering there are over 125 in the series, whether it will be a constant companion as I am in the 30’s, remains to be a test of time.
This is an instrumental work although there are some ‘hidden voices’ for those taking this trip on headphones and it is set on a bedrock of Krautrock with a modern edge that spills into what can best be considered as techno and trance music. The five songs do plenty of shapeshifting over the course of their running times and although the first few bars may instantly have you casting comparisons, things will not necessarily be as formulaic as expected. The first few bars and indeed title of ‘Displaced’ may for instance have you thinking of Morricone’s excellent and hostile main theme from ‘The Thing’ due to its pulsating coldness. From there however the electronica gets glitchy taking you off to a different headspace. Jangling synth motifs, build mesmerisation and there is almost a reggae like jauntiness about it. A dismal and barren sense of abandonment sees things move into ‘The Longest Night’ tying in perfectly with the deserted rehabs left undiscovered through 100 years after the nuclear apocalypse of my aforementioned books. However, things get a bit more upbeat with the futuristic pulsations, where one could easily expect Dave Brock to enter vocally. It’s very ‘Spirit Of The Age’ but then we get a pimp-laden sounding streetwalking strut from the various utilised synths at play which give it plenty of characterisation as it warbles along.
Long live the new flesh as we enter ‘Their Kingdom’ which has a vibe of Howard Shore’s Videodrome score about it at genesis before Dreaming on in Tangerine shades with a mix of brooding elongated sounds and higher radio-wave, telepathic communications. I guess the joy here is making your own pictures to go with the sounds and everyone will hear and imagine something different. There’s no mistaking the fact that this is a very visual sonic experience though, if that is not a contradiction in itself. ‘Walkers’ is quick to layer up the keyboards and present a more manic phase as the rhythm coasts along and a beat builds via drum programming. It’s got an infectious melody and with some equally robotic vocals could be a long-lost Kraftwerk number as we race along overgrown autobahns in a strange new world. ‘Drip Stream’ is the last but at 17 and a half minutes by no means the least, number here. Prepare to go into a cascading melody with the synths in freefall, casting shapes as they gambol in trance inducing futuristic patterns. Despite the length, the wings it flutters on like a majestic butterfly in a distant galaxy, continue to transfix the listener over the duration as colours change in flux and the metamorphosis is ever-constant.
I get the feeling that I may have lost the original concept over the course of my exploration of the album but my enjoyment has increased over repeated listens and that’s the important thing. There is actually something rather special about this far distant corner and it has been a real trip of the senses that any budding space cadet should buckle up tight for and enjoy the ride.
(8/10 Pete Woods)
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