CD Review: Saltillo - Monocyte: The Lapis Coil

Written by Kira Kalinina Tuesday, 24 July 2012 06:58

Artist: Saltillo
Title: Monocyte: The Lapis Coil
Genre: Trip-hop
Release Date: 8th May 2012
Label: Artoffact Records

Album Review

The multi instrumentalist Menton J. Matthews, who’s hiding himself behind the name SALTILLO, creates quite complex musical constructions. His heavy multilayer bits are coming together with some acoustic instruments like cello or piano. In addition these great musical building are decorated with female vocals or there are samples with quotes of Shakespeare or other authors or films, just like a cherry on the pie. Sometimes this combination can bring you down, pressing with its heavy construction and mostly gloomy dark mood. But sometimes it can bring the great deathlike inspire.

The new EP ‘Monocyte: The Lapis Coil’ presents the album ‘Monocyte’, which is the soundtrack to the same-name comic book. As it is possible to judge by preview in the Internet the mood of the comic is as dark as SALTILLO’s music, so they are complete each other. On the EP there are six songs, three of them are from the album, two more are remixed. But to be completely honest it is hard to say, what exactly was changed in that songs, since they sound pretty like the album-versions. The last song can’t be found on ‘Monocyte’ as well as on ‘Ganglion’. ‘Necromancy’ is the shortest song. Usually SALTILLO lets the song last up to six minutes, but this one is just three minutes long and ends suddenly, as if it was cut. Still this song characterizes the whole SALTILLO’s music. First the musician builds again the whole building, consisted on sounds. Suddenly the big grey wall of sound falling apart and the sun rays start to shine, stuffy air leaves your throat and some fresh waves pick you up and bring right into the light. But you’re still not sure if the light is the sunshine, or maybe a light in the end of the tunnel…


Tracklist

01. Proxy
02. If Wishes were Catholics (remix)
03. The Right of Action (remix)
04. Gatekeepers
05. The Locus Priority
06. Necromancy


Line-up

Menton J. Matthews III - Violin, cello, tenor, viola da gamba, piano, guitar, bass, banjo, drum-programming, pro tools


Website

http://www.menton3.com/ / http://last.fm/music/Saltillo


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10