Audiobulb Records is touted as a gathering place for “exploratory electronic music,” and one listen to Ultre’s All The Darkness Has Gone To Details prompts an inquiry as to where the hell this ship is going. Across veritable mountains of tape noise, feedback, and raw electro-acoustic bliss, Finn McNicholas, the sole artist behind Ultre, takes us from Eluvium inspired ambient piano to click laden Baroque concertos. These changes in style don’t detract from the album’s quality, but rather enhance the mood while showcasing a wide array of production techniques and themes. It’s shocking that such a young artist has the skill to extract this much substance out of old pianos and drum machines.

Throughout the album, Ultre works toward a central theme of pairing conventions of modern electronic music with Romantic era instrumentation. McNicholas is unique in that he doesn’t rely on computers, MIDI, or samples to produce sounds. Rather, he uses electro-acoustic instruments (many of which he builds himself, like the infamous crossbow cello from his 2006 tour) to create an original sonic pallete to work with. He then runs those recordings through a computer, but this could just as easily be a “digital meat grinder.” The way the instruments are twisted and turned to conform to McNicholas’ sound is both disturbing and enchanting at the same time. Once drum programming is added in, all bets are off, and the listener is left with what seems to be a combination of Rasputina, Eluvium, Luke Vibert, and Merzbow.

The noise elements of this piece are a nuisance at best. While they add to the gritty, lo-fi feel of this album, they also detract from the central instrumentation, and by “Scissors and Intervals” the feedback is downright annoying. It seems that with the skill Ultre exhibits throughout this album, he would have been able to cut out the hiss and hum with ease, but rather he opts to use it to build sonic density. A novel concept, but engineering the album more traditionally would have yielded better results. Perhaps Ultre is still stuck in IDM mode and convinced that he needs a novel aspect to produce a good album. It just isn't so.

Each track progresses farther and farther away from the Romantic sensibility of the album’s opener. More modern elements are added with each new songs, and the tenth track, “Phrotos,” is driven by synthesizer while the electro-acoustic elements are knocked down to a role as background drones. This progression is another great idea in theory, but all the charm and character of earlier tracks like “Pictures of Piano Notes” and “Hearings” is lost to the waveform dominated world of modern electronica. “Orcheste Neutron” brings back the earlier elements, complete with string arrangements and gentle piano, but pairs them with well placed synth lines and ambient electronic drones. It stands out as the best song off the album, although it should have been placed differently to better suit the LP’s progression. Closing with “Massive Things In Tiny Hands,” Ultre uses his recorded instruments as samples, crafting creative breaks, cuts, and clicks around them. A very good note to end on.

Ultre shows us a side of electronica that demands more exploration. The acoustic realm is all to ignored these days, and Finn McNicholas brings it to us in a way thats is both unsettling and beautiful. Perception and creativity go hand in hand in making this a great album, but Finn loses focus and adds too many filters, hisses, and clicks. Lo-fi grit is one thing, but intentionally distracting the audience from such a great piece is another. Unlike many electronic artists, McNicholas is breaking convention without making a big deal about how much he’s stepping away from it, allowing humility to shine through his work. His style is definitely unique and his music is incredible, but at times he’s still stuck in that typical IDM state of mind where novelty is essential to producing a good record. If he cuts the tape noise games and focuses the overall work, his next album will be a masterpiece.

-Jack Britton