dark ambient / drone

I've seen the dark ambient scene evolve a lot in the past few years. I have seen and heard most of the groundbreaking acts on labels like Cold Meat Industry and Cyclic Law from the very beginning. Ever since I discovered the genre, I've been fascinated by it and it has been a constant throughout all my musical endeavors. So I'm extremely glad to see that this style is still alive and kicking. Ever more so, in recent years, it has gotten even more interesting with acts like CHVE, Barst, Empusae and this Swiss act, Sum Of R. The ritualist approach takes the upper hand again, which is a good thing. 

Sum Of R was formed by Reto Mäder in 2008. Fabio Costa joined the project shortly after. During live performances, they use guitars, effects, drums, synths, samples and drones to create a dark yet hypnotic atmosphere. On this album, their third full-length they do exactly the same, influenced by everything between dark ambient, noise, post rock/metal, electronic and psychedelic music. The result is a fascinating listening experience, an event for body and mind.

The majority of the tracks on this album are slowly pulsating soundscapes and drones while others seem to borrow elements from modern classical music and soundtracks. Personally, I'm most fond of the ones with percussion, like 'Like & Dust'. My favorite track is 'Overgrown', which after the intro, immediately drags the listener down into a whirlpool of impending drones and soundscapes. 

The level of variation on this album is perfect. Every track seems to have its own identity, its own set of different elements. Yet, the whole thing is coherent and unmistakably Sum Of R. 'Cobalt Power' for instance, reminds me a lot of the current wave of dark jazz bands, like Dale Cooper Quartet or Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore. On other occasions, Sunn O))) isn't far off. But in all, this is simply a brilliant piece of dark music, one I will recommend to every dark soul out there.


​Serge

dark jazz / ambient / experimental

In my previous review (read), I wrote that Finnish one-man project J. Kill and Mr. Mule had evolved into a full band. The whole thing has become more serious instead of an experimental playground so the band decided to change their name to Käki, which means cuckoo. The music however is still exciting and immersive as ever. So I guess it's only natural that I throw their first four albums into one big review.

"Katoa" means "disappear". This is the first album, a solo effort. Jere recorded this after four days in isolation in a basement studio. It took him twelve hours to complete the album but the result is quite interesting. It combines dark jazz with something I can only describe as gritty Americana music. The songs are slow, lingering blends of jazz, drones and ambient but in a way they also come close to some cosmic, psychedelic jams. I think this stuff is perfectly suited for fans of Dale Cooper Quartet and the Dictaphones or Bohren Und Der Club of Gore and I think I will have to mention these names again real soon.

experimental / dark jazz

Here on Merchants Of Air, we receive albums through a number of media. Some people send CDs, others send emails, yet other contact us through our social media and here and there someone talks to me personally on a gig or festival. To be honest, I mostly forget about all but the first two. Facebook messages tend to get lost in the massive heap of notifications on that platform but once in a while an exception occurs. Those exceptions are usually caused by one or a few keywords. This time, the phrase "dark jazz" grabbed my attention, as it usually does. So, since I don't feel like playing heavy stuff, I decided to check it out.

Autger is a Russian one man project who claims to make "night music". What that is exactly? Well, in this case it seems to be slow, dark and eerie, inspired by doom and black metal but balancing on the edge between dark jazz, dark ambient and dark wave. The result is intriguing, like the bastard son of Dale Cooper Quartet and Sephiroth. Dark jazz tunes and soundscapes float freely over electronic percussion. Here and there an eerie vocal sample completes the gloomy, mysterious atmosphere. 

For a die-hard dark jazz fan, this album might take some getting used to, or at least the opening song, 'Der Untergang Der Welt'. It's a strange tune that combines electronic beats with drones and only gradually explores the regions of dark jazz. But once it grasps you, it won't let go until the dark and gentle 'Prophecy' sets your mind at ease. 'Libellus Adversus Deum, Regem Et Regnum' opens with some noise, some almost hidden voices and suddenly comes up with something I can only compare to industrial electronics. 

That track has some more surprises up its sleeve. Hell, Autechre suddenly comes to mind and that puts us right into the IDM scene. This album is starting to feel like a slow music megamix and I'm starting to like it a lot. On 'Regicide', the dark jazz is far off, unless it's a Scorn remix of Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Orchestra. Yes, Scorn. I don't think I need to tell you that this is quite a varied and surprising piece of work. My advice? Check it out but do it with an open mind. I don't think you will regret it.


​Serge

dark jazz

Fans of Twin Peaks will surely know what to do this summer: binge watch their favorite series. To them, the name Dale Cooper will probably ring a giant bell, or a whole glockenspiel. Yes, this French act is inspired by the haunting and eerie atmosphere in these blockbuster cult series. They're not only named after it, they also sound like they have spawned directly from Twin Peaks' soundtrack. With a blend of 50's crooners, dark soundscapes and deep saxophone, Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones have been paving the way for many dark jazz bands in the past decade or so. This new album, their fourth, can be seen as another medal on the genre's uniform.

Since their debut, 'Parole De Navarre' in 2006, Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones have been masters of their trade. In 2011, their masterpiece 'Metamanoir' came out, followed by 'Quatorze Pieces De Ménace' two years later. The elements are always similar: gloomy jazz, chansonic jazz vocals, noisy guitars and heaps of lingering soundscapes. On 'Astrild Astrild' the band follows that path. Perhaps that is the first thing I noticed, unlike some passages on their two previous albums, there is nothing surprising and genre-bending to be found here. 

Is that bad? Of course not. It's Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones, a band that has once again created some delightful dark jazz tunes, best to be enjoyed while chasing ghosts and bad memories. I'm not going into a song by song description on this one. Hell, I'm not even going to mention any of the songs. In fact, I'm going to take a little break from writing this review to order the album and see if they sell new t-shirts as well. My old one is almost worn out. 

Right, the album should be on its way here soon, so let's go on with the review. In all fairness, I don't think 'Astrild Astrild' is their best album to date but then again, it would be extremely tough to equal 'Métamanoir'. However, it is a carefully crafted and brilliant piece of dark jazz that definitely earns a spot in your collection. Once again, there are plenty of highly immersive passages and a gritty, gloomy atmosphere. So yes, I can only recommend this album to all dark jazz fans out there. 


​Serge