CD Review: Dead When I Found Her - Rag Doll Blues

Written by Sebastian Huhn Sunday, 21 October 2012 16:18

Artist: Dead When I Found Her
Title: Rag Doll Blues
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: 9th October 2012
Label: Artoffact Records

Album Review

'Harm's Way' has been a surprise hit if i may call it that way for DEAD WHEN I FOUND Her, the moniker Michael Arthur Holloway is operating under for a couple of years already. The follow-up has been eagerly awaited for months. Titled 'Rag Doll Blues' it continues from where the debut left off, though many things are different today. Holloway's still firmly rooted in the 80s industrial/electro sound that has been copied so many times and in so many different ways that it's difficult to get yourself to listen to another record of the genre, because it all tends to sound the same and yet it doesn't. The origin is clear but the destination's unknown. Take for example the opening 'No More Nightmares, introducing itself with a spooky piano loop and spectral synth voices. The theme is recurring in many different permutations throughout the track. The other part is the sharp fabric of beats and the haunting vocals that'll leave you speechless for as long as the track lasts. 'Better Days' is the next one in line and goes to it with a kind of fast-lane approach its kicks knocking like a racing pulse. With all the complexity within Holloway grants the track a moment of accessibility with the chorus line.

You may remember 'New Age of Reason' having been up on the project's Soundcloud for a while. The first glimpse into the new album, and it's one to make even your feet nod. S opposed to the previous two, its seeming somewhat reduced. Peeled to the bare skeleton of what is necessary. Here we go again , the screeching, tearing roar of a guitar turned to shreds lets you know what time it is. An edgy tesseract of sharp drum patterns circulates inside a bubble of hovering atmospheres that let it rain just when it is needed. "...and if you ask for rain / you're gonna get it every time!" Doll Pieces' is an instrumental prelude to something that'll unfold later on the record. A largely organic sounding composition with lovely piano lines whose drums still keep me guessing if they're actually acoustic or electronic. 'Dry Bed' oozes mystery from the very beginning wrapping your mind in ethereal melodies that serve as an extension of the lyrics . They never make it easy for you to look behind the curtain. That goes for both.

Suddenly, you find yourself transported to another place, a hall of 'Mirrors' wherein you're going to to have to face the phantoms of your past and the demons lurking on the inside. This tune is an introspection all the way through. Yearning notes fly through the air, surround you, and in a strange way give you comfort. 'Panic Matter' follows a slightly different pass. A cold wind blows through straightened-up structures and it's almost like Holloway's voice is blown away by by its power, still holding on, struggling not to be eradicated, and eradication is also part of the theme, like being wiped out of somebody's life leaving you trapped in solitude out on the stormy sea of raging feelings. The story now unfolds fully on 'Doll Parts' and here it is getting obvious that denial sometimes is a powerful means of self-preservation, denying the mere existence of knowledge yet there is this urge of reconstructing what was supposedly lost in an attempt to shed some light on the future, to dissolve something that's kept you in the shadows all your life.

'Lesser Light' is an ode to the uselessness of clinging on to something that can never be for long, either for your own, or the other's flaws. The album reaches an emotional peak here and thus the corresponding music is kept strictly to the minimum made of straight beats and deep melodies. 'Scissors' is like a double-edged sword. On one hand it goes into pitch-black abysms of wants and needs, then does a u-turn, raises airy synths and liquid piano while the last words still echo "..It's too easy to cut through you" We're turning the last page with the instrumental 'Stainless' which is focusing on the rare art of letting hand-picked samples telling the story instead of own words, underscored by a very serene yet sombre array of sound bytes.

As an extension to the original album there's, if you're amongst the lucky ones, a second CD 'Stitches & Cover-Ups' included that contains original new material, remix works and new angles on old hits. We start with the remix section and the ACRETONGE remix of 'Rain Machine' which is putting the atmosphere into focus as expected. Makes the original kind of catchy. If you've gotten used to the way 'Lesser Light' comes along, you're being a little irritated by how it turns out with ANKLEBITER twiddling the knob. Atmosphere above everything is the credo once again with the latest result from the secret sound lab. Up and coming CHRYSALIDE are carving out the harsh parts of 'Better Days' while leaving anything too close to a melody by the way side. A brutal twin so to speak. We'll close that section up with the KALTE FARBEN remix of 'Better Days', a sparsely melodious piece of machine music made of complex, multi-layered beat patterns.

First of the new songs is called 'Worlds Apart' coming with an almost poppy flavour and carrying a certain longing with in itself that is represented by the lots and lots of gorgeous melodies . The next lengthy piece is 'Underbelly' that despite almost 8 minutes of duration won't ever leave a space for boring moments. 'Kill To Cure' brings a cover of the SKINNY PUPPY son which is for many their first time hearing it, including me. It breathes the spirit of old SP material. Suppose this is something that didn't make the cut on 'ViViSectVi' back in the day shifting from moderately angry to a downright punk-ish aggression. In case you were ever wondering how 'In The Air Tonight' sounded the industrial/electro way this is your answer. For me already better than the original since i always disliked Phil Collin's vocals.

In the end 'Rag Doll Blues'  is one tough soundbyte to process. On the other hand, this is what makes it unique. The complexity sometimes is overwhelming, but never gaining the upper hand being juxtaposed with accessible webs of sounds for the atmosphere. What I'm saying is that it's all I hoped it would be and more. That, on the other hand, raises the bar very high for a third album. Now let's enjoy this one. It's still fresh and new and out there to be heard.


Tracklist

01. No More Nightmares - 6:05
02. Better Days - 5:10
03. New Age Of Reason - 4:37
04. Rain Machine - 5:17
05. Doll Pieces - 2:57
06. Dry Bed - 6:57
07. Mirrors - 7:57
08. Panic Matter - 5:13
09. Doll Parts - 6:01
10. Lesser Light - 5:46
11. Scissors - 6:59
12. Stainless - 8:45


Line-Up

Michael Arthur Holloway


Website

http://dwifh.com/ / http://www.facebook.com/deadwhenifoundher


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 9
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 9 / 10