PROFLIGATE - Somewhere Else LP

Highly recommended.

Inner sleeve with lyrics. Includes d/l code.

"This is a record of quietly brooding electronics, filled with patient, breathy vocals, a melancholic sense of melody and a magnetic charm, which is a feat considering how depressing the music frequently sounds. I feel like he’s really breaking new ground here, not just for himself but for anyone making weird personal electronic music, and it’s quite fantastic. I’m reminded of the electro-infused slow-core of the ’90s, groups like Duster and Her Space Holiday, given a rotten jolt of early ’80s industrial ala Nocturnal Emissions or Zoviet France. The pensive mood unites those two disparate musical cultures, with the soft churn of industrial patterns giving way to hushed melodic vocals (from both Anthony himself as well as poet and musician Elaine Kahn). I really can’t get over how good this is, how it can be so menacing and sinister while also so sweet and disarming, not to mention that Profligate traveled into previously uncharted aesthetic territory and struck gold. Really hope he continues in this direction, but even if not, Somewhere Else is a gorgeous gem worth coveting." - YGR

Coldwave has been stuck in the same patterns for a while now. There's not much new or interesting to hear. The soft minimalism and the pre-made sadness hit a wall and it didn't seem to go anywhere. The dull clones overpopulate the genre. But this album got to me. It has some post-industrial elements in the way the composition its approached, mixed with big textures and elements that add variation and diversity to the songs as a whole, while still maintaining the essence of the music in one certain path, with a clear vision. We hear clear synths along with harsh noises and soft voices that create a cold, rigid and metallic atmosphere. The sound overall it's worked nicely. Mastered by Carl Saff, who has worked with acts such as Forest Swords, Algiers and a lot of hardcore bands. He surely knows his stuff and he did a great job here.

RIYL: Japan, Nocturnal Emissions, Duster