STILL SINGLE

A space for thoughts on music and culture, as written by Doug Mosurock and a select handful of individuals. This is intended as a supplement to our regular feature Still Single, published on Dusted Magazine. Updates will run here more frequently, and may feature writing on music not covered in the column. Compact discs are still not accepted for review -- we have more than enough vinyl and the occasional cassette to worry about. Our Twitter feed keeps you apprised of reviews as they're published. It's kept locked and private, because with a name like @stillsingle, everyone thinks it's a dating site. Approvals happen whenever they happen.

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August 31, 2012

Nihiti – For Ostland LP (Lo Bit Landscapes)

I disliked this guy’s previous EP so much that I removed it from the to-review pile, so when I got this one with our current stack, I felt like some poetic justice was unconsciously appearing on my plate. But I did something that often comes back to bite me in the ass: research. I read the guy’s Altered Zones guest post from last year, and while he attempts to rock a metal knowledge and should have kept quiet on that front (Napalm Death did not turn into a self-parody in the ‘90s … those records can be fairly fascinating and sporadically great), he does seem to be fired up about the history of noisy or left-field techno (Napalm Death begat Scorn … that’s how he got from point to point) from the same era, and its development, influence, and inspiration post-Y2K. Once again, here we are at the crossroads of Giving Someone Too Much Credit For An Attribute For Which They Should Not Be Applauded (in this case, it’s simply having a sense of history) and The Musical Climate That Allows For Such Critical/Aesthetic Awards. Oh well, For Ostland is good for some rather dense electronic with pulsating beats and vocal prettiness. Problem is, I wonder if Mr. Nihiti is aware of Flying Saucer Attack’s overlooked masterpiece New Lands (1997) or the first half of the Labradford discography, because this is a warmed-over version of those milestones and less a contribution to the progression of topical avant-techno than a tracing over of what’s already been accomplished. (http://lobitlandscapes.org)
(Andrew Earles)

8 months ago • 0 notes