The Power of Post-Drone
A couple of months ago, a presentation on the discrepancy between noise and music spurred an interest in modern drone/doom. After six weeks of pursuing Sunn O))) and Khanate, I moved on. While I enjoy drone in small doses, the power of the music lies in numbing repetition and subtle developments which require heightened attention and an infinite patience, which is difficult to muster.
During this binge, I discovered Canada’s Nadja. Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff continue to maintain my attention because of the emotional dimension they bring to the table. Being a junkie of avant-garde or post metal, I quickly noticed Nadja’s equal homage to this movement as to drone. After delving through most of Nadja’s back catalogue, I’ve come to realize that the power and accessibility of Nadja’s music lies in the marriage of these two genres; nobody can create a vast soundscape laden with distortion and wracked with emotion quite like Nadja can; or in other words, nobody else sounds equally influenced by artists as diverse as Earth, Lustmord, and Isis.
Needless to say, I was stoked to learn that the unavailable Skin Turns to Glass CD-R would be re-released on The End. My inner-nerd excitedly speculated that the concept referred to the sandtrout-skinned Leto II of Herbert’s Dune Messiah. For purposes of comparison, I obtained the original version.
For me, the title track is the album’s highlight. It escalates with a post rock-like build up, layering distortion over repetitive, ethereal samples as well as each of the conspirator’s vocal and multi-instrumental contributions to create one of the heaviest pieces of music I’ve ever heard. The other two tracks are arguably just as good. "Sandskin" begins as ambience, but for the last four minutes the melody is improvised over the main theme. It’s hard not to get caught up in the scale-like progression of “Slow Loss” either; it’s pretty catchy!
Sure, Skin Turns to Glass is one of Nadja’s first efforts and it shows. Baker has not quite achieved the sound and coherency evident in the 2005-2007 releases. The drum work sounds rather artificial and unconvincing and there are some boring passages (even for drone). Overall however, the album is highly enjoyable and really gives perspective on Nadja’s progress over five years.
However, the bonus “Untitled” leaves me stumped. Unless you’re a fan of noise, there’s not much to like here. The first 25 minutes are dull, repetitive ambiance and the concluding three are glitch-influenced harsh noise. I know I must’ve missed the point, but like Intronaut’s the Challenger, I’m left wondering why they would dilute a short, solid, focused release with thirty minutes of filler.
That being said, the quality of the original three tunes makes Skin Turns to Glass well worth the price of admission. Even if you already own the original, the vastly superior recording quality lends them a majesty and emotional impact that can’t be communicated on the 2003 version. Highly recommended for die-hards and neophytes alike.
| Reviewer: Bernard Koch Added: March 17th 2008 |
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