dark ambient / electronic
In July I reviewed an album by Swiss producer Urs Wild (read), titled 'The Hidden Universe'. I was quite impressed by this effort, which I had discovered through the wonderful Unexplained Sounds radio show.
That same show recently provided me with Urs Wild's newest effort, 'The Black City'. Once again, I was impressed and curious towards the rest of the album. Long story short, here I am, engulfed in gloomy electronic soundscapes and a pitch black atmosphere.
So yeah, I guess another review is due
The album opens with the track 'Darkworks' and I must say, the flag covers the load perfectly. No need to gently lure the listener in, Urs Wild immediately delivers sonic grimness from a very high level. In a way it feels like a slowed down version of Scorn delivering the basslines for an array of drones and soundscapes, plus the atmosphere of Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore. "Doom ambient" would be a perfect tag to describe this music. 'The Well Of Sounds' gracefully follows its predecessor's example, showing basically the same deep electronic bassline which gives the whole thing a conceptual feel.
The entire album lasts for over an hour, with four songs taking up more than ten minutes. However, if you listen from start to end, there is very little that tells you that you're listening to a next song. As I mentioned before, the whole thing truly feels like a concept, or a soundtrack for either a dark sci-fi movie or a film noir. I can imagine a track like 'Underforce' lingering on throughout a Blade Runner scene. I wouldn't mind either, on the very contrary. What a delightful slab of dark drones this is. Raison D'Etre would be proud of Urs Wild.
Anyway, before I slip into writing a song by song description, allow me to recommend the hell out of this album. Urs Wild certainly knows the scene and he definitely knows how to produce excellent dark ambient albums. 'The March Of The Guardians' shows how easily this artist can cross the line between ambient and noise without losing the eerie, impending atmosphere. So yes, dark ambient aficionados, I think you need this album in your collection, even more than his previous one.
Serge
That same show recently provided me with Urs Wild's newest effort, 'The Black City'. Once again, I was impressed and curious towards the rest of the album. Long story short, here I am, engulfed in gloomy electronic soundscapes and a pitch black atmosphere.
So yeah, I guess another review is due
The album opens with the track 'Darkworks' and I must say, the flag covers the load perfectly. No need to gently lure the listener in, Urs Wild immediately delivers sonic grimness from a very high level. In a way it feels like a slowed down version of Scorn delivering the basslines for an array of drones and soundscapes, plus the atmosphere of Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore. "Doom ambient" would be a perfect tag to describe this music. 'The Well Of Sounds' gracefully follows its predecessor's example, showing basically the same deep electronic bassline which gives the whole thing a conceptual feel.
The entire album lasts for over an hour, with four songs taking up more than ten minutes. However, if you listen from start to end, there is very little that tells you that you're listening to a next song. As I mentioned before, the whole thing truly feels like a concept, or a soundtrack for either a dark sci-fi movie or a film noir. I can imagine a track like 'Underforce' lingering on throughout a Blade Runner scene. I wouldn't mind either, on the very contrary. What a delightful slab of dark drones this is. Raison D'Etre would be proud of Urs Wild.
Anyway, before I slip into writing a song by song description, allow me to recommend the hell out of this album. Urs Wild certainly knows the scene and he definitely knows how to produce excellent dark ambient albums. 'The March Of The Guardians' shows how easily this artist can cross the line between ambient and noise without losing the eerie, impending atmosphere. So yes, dark ambient aficionados, I think you need this album in your collection, even more than his previous one.
Serge
