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Blueneck - Scars Of The Midwest
 Website: Click Here
Music: Click Here
Label: Don't Touch Recordings
Buy: Click Here
Score: 8/10
Read anything about Bristol based quartet Blueneck, anything at all, and you’ll notice the word reclusive pops up. See, it’s just popped up there, and you didn’t even spot it. People wouldn’t normally brag about being reclusive, but with the case of Blueneck it seems different, like they almost want you to know, like it’s something to be proud of. And if being reclusive means that they make albums like the haunting Scars of Midwest, then that’s fine by me.
I didn’t think much of this album at first, and it’s taken a good 2 months of listening, as it burrows deeper into my consciousness, for me to like this album. But, when you consider that it took Blueneck 6 long years to record their debut, I think I’m making good time. Scars of the Midwest is being hailed in some circles as one of thedebut releases of 2006, and while I wouldn’t go that far, it’s certainly one of the most beautiful and original releases of the year. As far as the UK instrumental scene goes, Blueneck join the ranks of These Monsters, 65 Days of Static and Detwiije for their individuality, as no one seems to be making music that’s remotely similar.
The album opens with ‘The Hills Have Eyes’, which seems like it’s merely some gentle ambience with the purpose to take you by the hand, and lead you on a journey of dark and disturbing soundscapes, as next track ‘Judas! Judas!’ demonstrates. It’s haunting piano riff builds and builds almost unnoticeably into a deafening crescendo of pounding drums, searing guitars and electro glitches. Most of the album follows a similar path, with an ethereal piano starting things off, before chilling atmospherics and the odd glimpse of fragile vocals take over. Add to that some melancholic guitars and those disturbing soundscapes, and you’ve got a sound big enough to fill much larger venues than those Blueneck normally frequent. ‘Epiphany’ is 7 minutes of tragedy played out right before your ears, with lyrics about ‘skin peeling to the bones’, and more haunting melodies, it becomes heart-wrenching stuff, almost right out of a horror film. The same can be said for all these tracks, from the Hammock-esque ambience of ‘UB1’ to the distorted lament of ‘Le:465‘; it’s music that you wouldn’t want to listen to alone in a big house.
What’s most refreshing about Blueneck is that there’s a distinct subtlety and craft about their music that forces the listener to really engage with Scars of the Midwest before getting something familiar out of it, as Blueneck move in different circles than a vast majority of instrumental bands. Listen to ‘UB2’ long enough and you’ll start thinking Mogwai, as the tension that’s been building up throughout the album is suddenly released into a wall of sound. ‘Amoc’ is the perfect comedown from this, and it’s one of those beautiful moments in any album, where you stop, and think about life, about past memories, about the future, and it could almost be Sigur Ros’ ‘Untitled #3: part two‘. Scars of the Midwest is an album with many depths, that has been painstakingly crafted, and, while it will no doubt pass over many people’s heads, those who embrace it will be richly rewarded.
-James Ould
Written By: hostDate Posted: 12/1/2006Number of Views: 1889
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