Label: Domino Format: CDS,12″
Exhibiting a kind of Bristolian faux-gangsterism with sampler firmly in cheek, Matt Elliott is definitely getting more proficient with the drum & bass these days. Still spooky and atmospheric, the use of choral samples on the title track recalls the early unsettling soundscapes of Current 93 but with a beat – which is a pretty damn good idea too.
Religious art is probably best viewed through a filter of cynicism, and a few wheezing basslines, backwards cries and timestretched door squeaks add nicely to the mood of irreverent approaches to the sublime conjured by the cat-faced Jesus on the cover. The version of “Galaxy Of Scars” on the flip side is a stripped down wander through the album version, taking the sound back down into the depths of dark Ambience. As a dub mix it’s pretty good too, with trills of elongated hi-hats and the faintest of references to the queasy melody of “Semtex.”
-Freq1C –
