Artist: Autoclav1.1
Title: The Gates Of Greenhead Park
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: 21st April 2017
Label: WTII Records
Album Review
Well, sometimes there’s just a whole ton of bad luck involved, especially when trying to get out an album on vinyl as a relatively small artist. If those queues at the pressing plants wouldn’t be as insanely long as they are we could’ve had ‘The Gates Of Greenhead Park’ in the last year already. Be that as it may, what we have here is the first vinyl only AUTOCLAV1.1 album and for those wondering: No, there won’t be any release on CD. Not gonna happen. The new album is meant as a continuation of the sound exhibited on ‘Werewolf Country’, though there are differences as to how Tony approaches the material. Some of them quite conspicuous I might add. It actually makes me feel a bit nostalgic since it is harking back to that era when I first came into contact with AUTOCLAV1.1, specifically the release of ‘Love No Longer Lives Here’. The reason I’m mentioning this is that the new record ties in so well with the sound and emotional depth of that very album, occasionally mixing it with the weirdly looping rhythm patterns established on recent releases
Next up, we’re taking a closer look at the music itself which brings me straight to the opening track of the first side ‘Lull’ stacking up layers of contemplative melody flowing effortlessly into one another until you’re kicked back into the real world. ‘Sleep Dep’ is like the prime example of how a weird meter can initially throw you off a bit and then almost immediately turns into something utterly compelling. It’s not even the most original of techniques to have melodic and rhythmic components do kind of their own thing in a song BUT it is extremely well executed. ‘Four Day Monotony’ is a different story for me. While I like the sound design on a strictly technical level, it is not connecting with my emotional part which is a very fundamental thing for me when it comes to music. This is, however, a comparatively minor flaw on that record so far as its immediate follow-up ‘Solar Lights On Summer Nights’ pretty much makes up for it.
It feels like ascending into space and watching a solar flare having bought a ticket for the best seat on the ship. The sheer space it is evoking is at once intimidating and intriguing. As we progress through the record we encounter a pair of remixes on the B Side. Both are reworks of tracks taken from ‘Werewolf Country’. First off is DISPLACER with a rendition of ‘Short Pier’ which breathes understatement and elegance. All is flowing on a soft current of layered electronics. It is focusing on the atmospherics the track has to offer; something Michael Morton has always been particularly good at in my opinion. Looking at what Jamie Blacker of ESA has done with ‘Earworm’ you can’t help but thinking of the proverbial two sides of a coin. That Tapeworm Mix is just sick; it’s unrelenting and unforgiving for the most part and once it isn’t, it’s almost over.
‘William Speaks’ more or less is the classic piano track that pierces through to your heart instantaneously. It has that light melancholy weaved through its fabric. The kind that always works for me. A very calm and refined effort is closing the first vinyl release with ‘Dark Satanic Mills’. Despite its ominous title I found this one to be quite a relaxing thing having my thoughts go adrift for a few minutes. It concludes a lovely little release that not only holds a couple of beautifully arranged pieces but also additionally holds value as a collector’s item being strictly a vinyl release
Tracklist
A1. Lull
A2. Oxygen Thief
A3. Sleep Dep
A4. Four Day Monotony
A5. Solar Lights On Summer Nights
B1. Short Pier [Displacer Remix]
B2. Salad Dodger
B3. Earworm [Tapeworm Mix by ESA]
B4. William Speaks
B5. Dark Satanic Mills
Line-up
Tony Young – All Music & Production
Website
http://autoclavonline.com/
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 9
Total: 8.5 / 10
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