DESCENSION

ALUK TODOLO is one of those crafty bands that somehow just manages to fall between the cracks in the genre department with just enough characteristics of various genres but never really committing to any of them to make it clear where their allegiance is. This French band has been around since 2007 and their debut release DESCENSION is the perfect example. The trio of Antoine Hadjioannou (drums), Matthieu Canaguier (bass) and Shantidas Riedacker (guitar) took their band name from an area of islands in Indonesia and just like the scattered dots of land that emerge from the sea, so does snippets of meditative noise that rises from their hypnotic grooves.

DESCENSION is a combination of noise rock in its timbres as the jarring distortions seem utterly chaotic as they swirl around the meditative and psychedelic Krautrock type of ostinato bass that sounds like a stuck record all the while the drum lazily accompanies it. There are also ample amounts of atmospheric background ambience that builds up in violent eddies of sound and somewhat remind me of early cosmic trippers Ash Ra Tempel. The tracks are long and meditative with some like "Woodchurch" ending with wild buzzing sound effects that bleed into the next track. In fact the album almost feels like one long journey into a sonic universe where rules are thrown out the window and only rhythmic flows are constant.

While ALUK TODOLO has become famous for some of their later black metal elements that they added, on this debut they are planted firmly into the strange experimental world of noise rock with psychedelia interspersed throughout ever loose wire guitar effect and chugging bass and drumbeat march. The delivery is almost like some of the more progressive electronic artists like Coil or Throbbing Gristle only delivered with the distorted feedback of rock instrumentation. Almost like a post-rock band that wanted to be a noise rock band so became both instead. This is definitely not active music and is designed for clearing the mind and suspending any expectations. In that regard it's quite effective although perhaps a little too jarring to bring one to Rancho Relaxo and not strong enough in the song structures to initiate any kind of true musical response but certainly unique and intriguing.

3.5 rounded down