On beautiful red
transparent vinyl comes this much-awaited split between Californian
consciousness-warper Sunken Landscapes and northern Ontario's own lo-fi
electronic artist My Cell Phone Is Better Than Your Cell Phone.
This being the inaugural vinyl release for both analog imprint
Scotch Tapes and the prolific Nihil Underground label, I had high
expectations for this aesthetically impressive single.
Sunken Landscapes'
"Other Side of Space" kicks off with an astute sample from the
superbly horrific Adult Swim show Superjail before sending
the listener into a bizarre world of bubbling sonic detritus. Eerie
tape effects and atmospheric noise bury deep samples, imparting a
feeling of floating freely in space, catching bits of diffracted
radio waves as they bounce randomly off surfaces of space-junk.
Judging by the title of the track, as well as the samples used
within, this may well have been the intention.
MCPIBTYCP's side is
strikingly dissimilar from its counterpart. Although still somewhat
intergalactic - in a cold, dark way - "A Gun Named Jesus" is a
fundamentally different beast. The track sets a throbbing, coldwave
beat in motion before layering a nineties-era Mute Records synth line atop the rhythm. It's a strong composition, perfectly
suited to vinyl, and it certainly ranks among Al's best works. It
seems the responsibility associated with focusing all energy on a
single track for this single has really brought out the best in
MCPIBTYCP, and I'm excited to see what else he's got in the
pipeline.
All in all, this is
a solid slab of DIY vinyl from two of the underground scene's most
intriguing lo-fi enigmas. I want more!
