Conure – 49 minutes (until release)

‘A composition in eleven parts’ with the first track being an exercise in reverberation. Yes, lots of reverb effects and electronic moderation imposed upon a slow pounding beat.

‘Manhattan state of mind’ seems like a hallucinogenic journey into the metro-underground, reversed sound samples, fragments of speech and a severely pressing atmosphere which seems choking the living breath out of you in a black clog of smog. The continuation of this track is ‘A Manhattan mindless state,’ which is not so different from the previous.
Then it’s time to dance on ‘Patience’ . A techno groove. Not that original or interesting, but enjoyable. Strange however because it differs a lot from the other tracks. ‘Reflections and recapitulation’ is again oppressive industrial with a subterranean beat structure reminiscent of Vromb. ‘Dreaming in stereo’ is more minimal noise, yet hostile and ferocious. A soundtrack to everything lifeless and electronic in a city of concrete.
‘Scraping the cavity’ releases heavy bass rumblings upon the listener, with attacks of noise bursts like steel brushes scraping over metal surfaces. ‘Recycled lives’ is as dark as the others, albeit more ambient and cinematic, a minimal greeting to Thomas Koner’s ‘Permafrost’.
‘An exercise in reversal’ is the last phase before the final release as the title indicates.

An enjoyable noise ambience album, better than most, with exciting compositions and oppressing atmospheres.

artist: Conure
label: Crunch Pod
details: 10 tracks, 49 mins., 2005