Pete Namlook
Silence IV
Opening with the 20 minute ‘Circle of Life’, we are initially presented with the sound of water drops in an immense echoey chamber. Slowly an industrial throb emerges, akin to factory machinery warming up after a night’s rest. Voice samples then add detail, the voice heavily treated and sounding like an alien from ‘V’. This is certainly subliminal stuff, with overlaid effects and textures coming and going. A slowly rising drone emerges at around the 7 minute mark and occupies for track for a number of minutes to follow. It’s like being embarked on an inter-planetary journey, with the engines whining and the G-Force knocking you back in the seat. At around the 15 minute mark a simplistic motif brings a hint of normality to proceedings.

‘Deep Inside’ is a dense tapestry of lengthy choral drones, pieced together as an awesome wall of sound. Again, when the mood catches you, this is truly impressive. At other times however, it’s just a bit too difficult. ‘Bedouin Love’ however is not difficult to get on with, quite the contrary in fact. It opens with ominous chords, then introduces delightful choral pads which bring to mind moments from Clavel Azul’s ‘Moondust’ album. It continues in much the same style for 6 minutes before spartan percussion appears and extremely strange voice samples emphasise the “leftfield” approach. This is a great track.

Tha album closes with ‘The Night Before I Left’ which features simplistic synth pads punctuated with minimalist piano detail. A slightly monotonous slow bass sequence detracts somewhat, but it’s a satisfactory close.

This is not a “quick fix” album, and I’ve a feeling that with time it will be a grower. However, I’ve heard it a few times now and only track 3 has shown any potential. Overall, moody but mediocre by Namlook’s standards. (GG)

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