a r t i s t : Xela
t i t l e : The Dead Sea
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : Type Records
c a t : TYPE018V
s o u r c e : Vinyl
g e n r e : Avantgarde
r l s. d a t e : Oct/2006
t r a c k s : 12
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 62,1 MB
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I cannot stress how fantastic this package is, the artwork is
amazing, and the music is stunning!
Do yourself a favour and order a copy now
--
Originally from the Black Country (the glottal rich manor of
Walsall to be exact...), John Twells is now based up north in
Manchester - from where he runs his Type imprint and casts out
dark, yet never suffocating, compositions under the Xela
pseudonym. Having recorded silicon-rinsed soundtracks
alongside Gabriel Morley as Yasume, Twells is best known for
his work released under the Xela appellation. Showing an
astonishing evolution in sound from early releases such as
'For Frosty Mornings and Summer Nights' and 'Tangled Wool',
through to the ink-blot atmospherics of 'The Dead Sea', what
originated in the clinical environs of digitalis was gradually
eroded by thickly hued instrumentation and sublime
arrangements - with Twells incorporating a vast palate of
sounds and influences that retains sharp and piquant flavour
despite the rich ingredients.
Featuring a fantastically macabre set of illustrated cover art
from Matthew Woodson (www.ghostco.org), 'The Dead Sea' is
Xela's ode to all things maritime - with the album's thematic
thread detailing a doomed ocean voyage that meets an abrupt
end amongst a swarm of malignant zombies. Drawing on the work
of 1970's horror directors (Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci and
George Romero et al.) and their respective soundtracks, 'The
Dead Sea' pays a considerable debt to the likes of Goblin or
Fabio Frizzi - albeit frayed with a bloodied disposition that
reveals a love of Earth, Circle and Wolf Eyes. Nowhere near as
oppressive as this description could have you believe, Xela
also exposes a deep seam of kaleidoscopic folk amongst his
collection, with generous nods going to the freewheeling
antics of labels such as Fonal and The Jewelled Antler
Collective. Opening through the lace-curtained drone of 'The
Gate', Xela manages to be both wilfully obtuse yet
unremittingly focussed - as a cold-water batch of foggy
soundscapes briefly parts to reveal some insistent percussion.
Next up are the heat-haze melodies of 'Linseed' and its tender
coalition of acoustic shards and mealy rhythms, before a
Victorian music box is exposed to some virulently thrumming
necromancy for the startling 'Drunk On Salt Water'. From here
Xela continues to coax both light and dark from a palate of
instruments he's accrued whilst travelling the globe, ranging
in style from the throbbing Theramin-heavy electronics of
'Creeping Flesh' and the tarnished grandeur of 'Savage
Ritual', through to the seething distortion of 'Humid At Dusk'
and nervous shimmer of 'Briefly Seen'. Horrifically good!
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a1-The Gate [04:52]
a2-Linseed [04:10]
a3-Drunk on Salt Water [04:13]
a4-Wet Bones [04:30]
a5-Creeping Flesh [02:27]
b1-Savage Ritual [04:06]
b2-A Floating Procession [04:38]
b3-Sinking Cadavers [01:01]
b4-Humid At Dusk [04:45]
b5-Watching A Light In The Distance [02:06]
b6-Briefly Seen [05:05]
b7-Never Going Home [02:13]
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44:06 min