Ian Boddy Box of Secrets

Opening with ‘Frozen Web’, the album gets off to a robust and almost foreboding start. The soundstage ripples with latent energy as emergent sequencer work underpins some delightful percussion which increases the tempo. ‘Box of Secrets’ evolves from a primordial soup of effects to present an infectious collage of themes and rhythmics. It’s deceptively beguiling nature ebbs and flows before ‘Shadows in the Sand’ takes over to offer skeletal percussion offset by eastern-feel motifs and imagery, though latterly it enters slightly more mainstream territory. ‘Theres Something In Your Attic’ doesn’t so much bring to mind the city of cardboard boxes which occupy this reviewer’s roofspace, more an amorphous collage of power akin to an Entity presence.

‘Walking the Slow Path’ continues the atmospheric approach with impeccable choral/flute vox pre-empting a superb slab of chugging rhythmics embellished by a variety of motifs. ‘Nobodys Home’ is pure effects territory, while the wonderfully titled ‘Hive Culture’ crashes onto the scene to offset superbly uncompromising sequencing with some angst laden thematics producing for me the highlight of the album.