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Greetings everyone, today we are checking out some experimental music from an Australian noise artist based out of Iceland. Ben Frost has been releasing music since the early 2000s, and has continued to improve his own sound while experimenting with the boundaries and limitations of genres like Dark ambient and harsh noise.
To me his music has a kind of cinematic feel to it, like we're deep inside this world covered in smoke and dust,
trying to find our way through the harsh environment. He incorporates both dark synths, with field recordings and electronic drums for a mix of serene fields of noise and moments of ecstasy ripping you apart. We'll start off with his 2nd album, "Theory Of Machines"
A pretty accurate depiction of going to a noise show Source
Theory Of Machines
Coming out in 2006, this record has a very heavy tone surrounding it, with slow droning builds leading us towards the eclipse. Minimalist use of drums makes the songs increasingly psychedelic and floaty. Especially on tracks like "Stomp", a slow ambient track building itself up slowly until it's ready to unleash itself upon the listener.
From that we go to "We Love You Michael Gira", a track named in homage to the front man of the post-punk band Swans. They are notoriously loud and abrasive in their music, and this track reflects that in it's own meandering way.
The songs on this record all take a while to get going, and they are more like solo pieces than a flowing symphony of noise. However I really enjoy some of the tracks on here. Especially the track we're gonna start off with, with a name that invokes an immediate feeling of dread in me. A very slow meditative journey through the darkness, "Forgetting You Is Like Breathing Water"
Forgetting You Is Like Breathing Water
By The Throat
This album is a real case of where the cover art perfectly reveals the kind of soundscape you are in for on this one. It's a cold harsh winter, and the icy snow is ripping through you while the wolves lurk behind you. The album opens with "Killshot", a track that starts seemingly innocent before turning into a journey through all our hearable frequencies.
The textures on the instruments is what really drags me into Ben Frost's music, you can almost feel the sound coming from inside you, stretching out through you. It's an album that again combines the harsh noise elements with more structured sounds, like harpsichords and horns. This is especially noticable on the track "Híbakúsja", where you have a horn ensemble growing with what sounds like a clonky harpsichord.
The track I wanna show you from this record is one that has the haunting vibe I was talking about earlier, it's almost like knowing someone is following you and catching up with you. The pulsating strings growing increasingly more tense, feeding your fear and anxiety. This is "Through The Roof Of Your Mouth"
Through The Roof Of Your Mouth
Aurora
Coming out in 2014, this record shows a new facet to the sound of Ben Frost. He recorded this album in Congo, to get away from his own world he had built through the years. Drawing inspiration from living in a new culture, with new musical traditions meant this album would be an evolution from his previous sound.
This record has more of a structured electronic music style, dropping most of the cinematic chamber instrumentation from before, in favor of steady rythms to give the music a sence of urgency. You can hear this clearly on "Nolan", a track that almost makes me think of early "crystal castle" sounds, without the vocals.
For todays last track, we'll be checking out the sluggish noisebath "Venter", a track that feels like a generator that is slowly running out of gas, chugging along until the moment of recharge and it unleashes in a wave of synths and sounds.
Venter
All right, that's all folks! I hope you enjoyed todays edition of Alphabetical Order, a blog series where I write my opinions on parts of an artists discography. If you liked it or if you hate it, let me know! And if you wanna keep up to date, you can follow me. Until next time, peace out!
You can get more info or support the artist by checking out these links:
https://www.discogs.com/artist/332501-Ben-Frost
https://benfrost.bandcamp.com
