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Title: Nature’s Twin Tendencies
Artist: Famine
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: 9th November 2010
Label: Tympanik Audio


Album Review

It’s been a long time in the making and, at least by me, highly anticipated after FAMINE’s debut release ‘Every Mirror Turns Black’ out in 2008 on Canadian label Bugs Crawling Out Of People and a trip to the past with ‘Cocytus’ EP the same year. The new album ‘Nature’s Twin Tendencies’ on a first look appears just like a book of fairytales, you’d just have to open for the story to unfold. Unlike many of those stories, the one FAMINE is telling is not that easy to grasp and instead of letters you will encounter abstract sonic architecture on this one. The first building, ‘Mercury (What Lies Behind The Curtain)’, is steeped in thick fog that is permeated by spectral choirs until an earthquake phases in, displaces them and as the ground cracks open it unleashes its contained chaos in rapidly mutating rhythmic figures. It is impossible getting used to particular patterns for FAMINE changes and alters everything at an insane tempo. On the other hand, it makes listening to it an adventure and I like adventures. ‘Powerspender’ rushes towards you like a derailed high-speed train. You don’t see it coming, but if you do by chance you’ll have no chance to escape. Erratically rotating beats amidst splinters of glitch form a unity with an intense breeze of ambience in minor.

In Malay language the word ‘Utarid’ is used to describe our solar system’s first planet Mercury. For a while FAMINE keeps too demanding rhythm storms aside and concentrates on ascending, sunny synth textures before the mutilated, bitcrushed beats, occasionally inflicted with noise complete the overall picture. On the first album we were introduced to a blend of Black Metal and electronics, e.g. with ‘Blood Sacrifice’. ‘Remorseless’ now is the first of three, bringing back that mixture, and it’s more stirring than ever with swirling breakcore terror, irregularly timed drums and a clever sampling of riffs. ‘Dread Father’ continues in a similar vein, but appears as more voluminous with power in abundance. The whole thing comes across as powerful as it does, because everything’s condensed and compressed to massive layers. If I ever get to see a live performance of FAMINE; I’d like to hear that song played with a few guest musicians. At first ‘Blasphemous Reverence’ is like submerging into black viscous waters like they exist only in mythological underworld. Upon surfacing back from its depths, it’s towering up to a sinister symphony, later to render homage to intricate noise metal pushed into extreme regions, only leaving minor opportunity for real melodies to unfold.

With that in mind, ‘Weak’ seems almost meditative in its use of rather soothing melodies and cleaner, by his terms, almost restrained structures. The album’s title track proves to be an opus magnum. If you hear its crystal layers floating out of your speakers, it has you instantly picturing wintry landscapes. Those will serve as the counterpart to what appears in parts as a generative approach to rhythmic construction, electronic artists like AUTECHRE have exhibited on certain albums already. It’s not as random as it sounds on their tracks, but you can’t rid the feeling the beat has something like an own life within a framework of set ground-rules. At some point you’re getting used to that and that’s the point where there’s a break and a shift towards a Post Rock-ish approach with a slowly-developing guitar. At its peak there comes the next turn with orchestral companionship and a crescendo that’ll drive tears in your eyes. You could call it a symphony in three movements. The transition to the last track ‘Everyone Is Happy’ is seamless. But even though I dig the track, really it doesn’t stand a chance with the impression left by the faded title track. If you listen to it separately the impression is a different one though.

Well, I need to say I was wondering when the album would finally come out. After your first spin of the record, however, you will never ask again why it’s taken the time it has. The sound is amongst the best you can please your ears with in ambitious electronic music these days. Also it shows this was still just the beginning, though a huge leap forward from the first album. It will be interesting to see, or hear, what will be the next stage.


Tracklist

01. Mercury (What lies behind the curtain) - 5:00
02. Powerspender - 5:02
03. Sig/Int - 4:45
04. Utârid - 4:40
05. Remorseless - 4:40
06. Dread Father - 2:41
07. Blasphemous Reverence - 5:21
08. Realign (The Conjuration of Perfect Nature) - 4:12
09. Dantalion - 4:54
10. Material Things - 6:27
11. Weak - 4:56
12. Nature's Twin Tendencies - 8:53
13. Everyone Is Happy - 4:05


Line-Up

Famine - All Music & Production


Website



Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 9
Sound: 10
Extras: -
Total: 9.5 / 10

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