Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Have a Nice Life: "the Unnatural World"



The project some how manages to be weirder than the sum of it's parts , which is impressive considering it is comprised of members from  the black metal band Nahvalr, hard core act the Stranger Danger along which a ghost music...ultra dark ambient project Giles Corey. Droney and nosie ladden the influence of the latter can normally be heard the most, but this group morphs from song to song.

They flow from their stylistic changes gracefully, going from a more shoe gazey drone into the more Night Sins like "Defenstration Song". thats hollow cold , bass driven throb. The cryptic re-verb cloaked vocals croon in the shadows.The more electronic bent this project takes on takes itself known on "Burial Society", it has a lo-fi pulse, almost like really old Depeche Mode. The biggest improvement is the vocals. They are better sung, than from what I have heard from this projects efforts, with a greater emphasis placed on melody, though this doesn't compromise the experimental nature of what these guys do.

The noisier more challenging elements of the bands sound wait until "Music Will Untune the Sky" to unfold their ominous drone.I no longer do the kind of drugs that makes a song like this as compelling as it might be if I were high. "Cropsey" which sounds to be inspired by the documentary of the same name, is  centered around samples of child mental health patients, is very Swans in this regard. The actual song this leads into is more of  indie rock take on post-punk, think a stripped down and darker version of Arcade Fire here.

The more lo-fi noise tinted electronica opens up the Joy Divisionesque "Unholy Life". This much darker direction that liberally winks at the 80's is a good turn for this project as it still leaves them lots of room to play around with. This song is heavier than the other, though not in a metal sense , but in the haunting swirl of sonics , that oozes out like My Bloody Valentine on a more introspective bad trip.There is even a smooth bass groove on "Dan & Tim, Re-untied by Fate". The strong melody that float on the verse , almost makes this the most accessible moment until the deluge of effects floods the build of what would pass for a chorus. The production this song is intentionally murky as it transitions into a more glitched out ending .

The album closes with "Emptyness Will Eat the Witch" which drones along on the vocal chants similar to those on "Music Will Untune the Sky"  so aside from these song which I see a more interludes the album is pretty spotless. So exluding the moment they get side tracked and let the drugs drift them way, I'd say this album is a 10.




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