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review by Ben Fleury-Steiner The multi-talented Pete Kelly (a.k.a. Igneous Flame) known perhaps more in the ambient world for his spacier (e.g., Tolmon) and more meditative (e.g., Oxana) works takes a different turn on this earlier release, Intox. An accomplished soundtrack composer and sound installation artist, Kelly explores far ghostlier sonic realms here. In contrast to Tolmon, a vast and galactic set, or the organic drifting textures Kelly creates most recently on Oxana, Intox is a shape-shifting work of gray-lit, sonic contortions. As imprimatur to this review, let me begin by saying that I do not typically care for sounds that are consciously labeled "dark ambient." That term, to my mind, is awash in Spinal Tapish predispositions - a stereotype that is, unfortunately, all too often accurate. Thus, from my perspective, "dark" and "spooky" music is only as interesting as it is mysterious. And to create mysterious sound art, the artist must view "dark" as only one of many colors to manipulate. Admirers of Robert Rich's seminal dark works - perhaps, especially his Stalker collaboration with Brian Williams (a.k.a. Lustmord) - will find Intox ripe with satisfying mystery. The opening tracks come swirling and scraping into a heavily reverberated audio field. "Obsidium" sets the tone as coarse metallic vibrations create a highly organic feel and then, at approximately the two-minute mark, the audio floor suddenly drops out. Quieting things only for a split second, Kelly quickly fills the void - again with an airy backing drone peppered with the sound of television confetti that, however, unexpectedly, gives way to thick pulsing exhalations. The sound of rain drums thunder and stutter below and within "Once the Damage has been done." My only complaint with this track: The title cancels out much of the ambiguity connoted by Intox's other cryptically labeled compositions (e.g., "Thula," "Belladona," and "Norden"). More specifically, we know that Kelly is seeking to do "damage" here, but why give it away with the title? Fortunately, cheesy title aside, this damage is quite mesmeric: The percussive stop and stutter creates a wonderful instability in the listener. Kelly is a craftsman who is quite conscious of the sonic mystery he is weaving here and throughout Intox. "Nepunius" is another wonderful example of meticulous sound sculpting. It is slow and engrossing but simultaneously dense with changing textures and counter-textures. The mercurial "Belladona" summons a different but connected chapter within Intox. The deep and throaty Tibetan chant-like drones take us to an altogether more absorbing space. But Kelly is too obsessed with the nuances of sound to let the drone meander into blithe minimalism. The hovering metallic reverberations settle in - then primal gurgles appear from seemingly thin air&emdash; - and vanish into distant gongs. This seamless, slow motion fading and effective use of reverb creates an inexplicably hallucinogenic "antidote" to Intox's previous nine chapters. Belladonna's tendrils grow into "Veil" but are quickly cut off with the sounds of a muted - yet utterly garbled - human voice. In Kelly's sound world, the intoxication of shape-shifting ghosts cannot, thankfully, be altogether exorcised! Indeed, "Norden" marks an almost hybrid sound that incorporates elements from each of Intox's sections. The set's closer "Amon" recaptures the slow enveloping aesthetic of "Belladonna" but ends without a trace of contrivance. Instead, Intox closes into a quivering, wholly primal sonic void. A truly intoxicating release from a cutting-edge artist that all fans of darker, organic, and, ultimately, more mysterious sounds should familiarize themselves with immediately. |
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