Ashrae Fax – Static Crash LP (Hot Releases)
RECOMMENDED
Released on CD-R in 2003, then on cassette, and now in a limited edition vinyl pressing, the “grad thesis” of sorts by North Carolina’s Ashrae Fax is nothing short of incredible. It’s a goth/ethereal/synth pop record with a homemade quality that belies serious musicianship and establishment of themes in a Siouxsie/Cocteau Twins/Kate Bush opiate gauze sort of way, wholly a part of the ‘80s and ‘90s movements that spawned such music, and with a pedigree that goes back long enough to actually connect to those times. There are both the presence of expected, traditional instrumentation (guitars, synths and drum machines), handled like they should be, and the performers’ ability to operate completely within the identity that such music requires, providing a gravity to these eight songs that allows the performers to master the mood and contours of their sound. In a time where even the most basic and sloppy deconstruction of the music from this era is permitted, where your self-identification with a movement automatically makes you a member of it, there aren’t that many acts with a “total sound” as like what is presented here, a narcotic collection of songs activated by the bewitching vocals of Renee Mendoza Haran. Static Crash is a complete statement; it stands with its face towards the sea on some rocky cliff, swathed in black, wind-whipped, vivid and alluring. Next time you’re wrapped up in a cocoon on your bed, lost in a vortex of animated GIFs and drifting into the reliable vapors of chemistry, reach for this one before you pass out. 300 copies. (http://www.hot-releases.org)
(Doug Mosurock)
