The Contino Sessions

It's hard to place this album in a box. It was gloomy. It was boring. It was also low-key engaging - the instrumental rave ups where especially nice. Is this just a dark metaphor for a material driven life? Death in Las Vegas. Death in Monaco. Aging in West Palm Beach. I feel no need to return to this album. Their one song on the Lost In Translation soundtrack is enough for me. C-

I honestly didn't notice this album ended the first time I listened to it. It was very background noise for me, and some tracks such as "Aisha" made me cringe because it felt like it was trying so hard to be edgy. "Lever Street" was the best song on the album imo. It wasn't BAD in the ways the other 1 star albums were, but I don't think it deserves a place on the 1,001 album list because so much of it is snoozy.

Wow, what an album. I was immediately hooked from the beginning with the slow build up in Dirge, to such satisfying guitar and synth instrumentation. I honestly was not expecting an electronic album, but its a nice change of pace. Every song progresses in such a satisfying way. I love the use of rock instruments on top of the synths, giving it a grungier feeling, reminiscent of Massive Attack or Gorillaz, and even Black Moth Super Rainbow on the song Luther's Funk. Some of these songs are much more abrasive and hard for what I'd expect from a 90's electronic album, it had a very modern feeling. I love all the songs on this album, but the stand out for me is Aisha. I love Iggy Pop's spoken-word vocals on this song, mixed with the guitars and synth solos, it's just so captivating. I really don't have any complaints about this album at all. The songs were all different enough to where it didn't feel repetitive, but still felt like a consitent album. Every track was a unique experience and my expectations were always shattered each time, there were so many intricate progressions and twists that kept me on my toes. There's a lot of songs on this album that I'll be saving to my playlist, I'm excited to listen to it again. Favorite track: Aisha, Dirge, Luther's Funk, Lever Street - Least Favorite track: none

Saw DIV live back in the day. A musician friend had to leave, he was worried about permanently damaging his hearing. it was a great gig. Couldn't believe how many people were on stage. The idea of a guest vocalist was pretty original when it was released. Nowadays every other tune seems to be doing some type of collaboration. These were not driven by marketing and sales but by finding the voice/character/mood to match the song. Iggy pop absolutely nails Aisha. On the next album Paul Weller and Liam Gallagher create works they never would have on their own and equal to their best. Cover art 3.5/5

May have been relatively interesting had it come out in 92, but I don’t understand why it would take 7 years for these guys to come up with a cut-rate Screamadelica 2.0.

The screeching hurt my ears.

Loved the it, good and grimy

What an album - from the opener Dirge it just builds brilliantly until Aisha which is such a tune , feels dirty and gritty and a strong step away from the “big beat” they started with. The whole album flows brilliantly with a dark edge and I totally forgot just how good it was. Take out the Bobby Gillespie track and you can still hear parts Primal Scream etc. Absolutely stellar

I was obsessed with Death in Vegas's first album- Dead Elvis. It just seemed effortlessly cool. I was counting the days for the release of their second album, and it didn't disappoint. This album started their move towards a more commercial sound and amped up the guest appearances but this release maintained the effortless cool.

Any album that features Iggy Pop singing "Aisha, I'm viiibraaatiiing" gets five stars by default.

Love it, always have, amazing album

This is entirely new to me and I loved it. It’s a very dark album, but there are epic moments like “Flying” where it loosens up and feels lighter. “Aisha” has a great rock groove under those disturbing lyrics. “Aladdin’s Story” is a pretty cool take on the classic ‘Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen…’. I enjoyed the rock-meets-electronica of this. Death In Vegas is a group I will check out further. Not a happy album, but one I am happy to have encountered!

Enjoyed this. Fave tracks - Dirge, Aisha, Neptune City

Another artist/album I don't know, Bri'ish of course. This is an interesting project--classified as electronica, but it's somewhere between electronic and shoegaze-y rock. The combo works well and the music is decent throughout, but I'm not grabbed by much here. Fades to the background pretty quickly, but I LOVE the glitchy sound that comes up on "Aisha." That's a banger track. I saw on Wikipedia that Pitchfork gave this a 3.9! The review is hilarious, and in my favorite bit the critic said that Aisha "bursts through the speakers with such ferocity as to make you drop the saucepan of bathtub crank you just brewed up all over your bisexual girlfriend's Cocker Spaniel." Favorite tracks: Dirge, Aisha. Album art: Extremely boring, instantly forgettable. I do like the color scheme but the imagery is lame. See Metallica's "Kill 'Em All" for a good red/white/black album cover.

It has rough patches but manages to pull itself together sometimes.

listened to this a lot

Aw Hells Yes. was not expecting this to be on this list. Delighted

First time listening to a full Death in Vegas album, and it’s incredible. It’s in its own space somewhere between electronic and rock, and everything just flows so well. The easiest 5* in a while for me.

Really interesting and eclectic sound which vibed with me!

I am not familiar with DEATH IN VEGAS’s music at all, but aware of the band’s existence. After to THE CONTINO SESSIONS, the album is right up my alley. The opening track “Dirge” starts with a PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED (PIL) instrumental right off METAL BOX, then DIV take off on their own path exploring similar terrain but with different textures. A great record and the deluxe edition is even ten times better. If you dig the vibe, DON’T EVEN BOTHER WITH THE STANDARD RELEASE. In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, only THE CONTINO SESSIONS is included, I have a feeling that I’ll be disappointed that there are more albums included. But I can always investigate them on my own time. Rate Artist: DEATH IN VEGAS (5.0) Rate Album (Year): THE CONTINO SESSIONS (1999 Original) (5.0) Rate Album (Year): THE CONTINO SESSIONS (2016 Deluxe) (5.0) Ranking of DEATH IN VEGAS - THE CONTINO SESSIONS songs No. Title Length 1-01) Dirge 5:43 10.0/10 (instrumental) 1-02) Soul Auctioneer 6:00 09.5/10 1-03) Death Threat 4:51 09.0/10 1-04) Flying 7:07 09.5/10 1-05) Aisha 5:54 10.0/10 1-06) Lever Street 3:40 09.5/10 (instrumental) 1-07) Aladdin's Story 4:45 10.0/10 1-08) Broken Little Sister 5:19 09.5/10 1-09) Neptune City 4:44 10.0/10 Original 1999 Release 87.0/90 = 9.66 / 2 = 4.83 1-10) Blood Yawning 7:16 10.0/10 1-11) One More Time 7:02 10.0/10 1-12) Luther's Funk 4:59 10.0/10 Bonus Tracks 2-01) Aisha (Edit) 3:53 10.0/10 2-02) Dirge (#2) 3:39 10.0/10 (instrumental) 2-03) Dirge (Slam Mix) 7:49 10.0/10 (instrumental) 2-04) Dirge (The Micronauts Remix) 6:42 10.0/10 (instrumental) 2-05) Dirge (The Micronauts Bonus Beats) 6:09 10.0/10 (instrumental) 2-06) Dirge (Cossack Apocalypse Mix) 8:16 10.0/10 (instrumental) 2-07) Dirge (Adrian Sherwood Remix) 5:28 10.0/10 (instrumental) 2-08) Neptune City (Concrete Funk 1) 5:27 10.0/10 2-09) Neptune City (Concrete Funk 2) 5:09 10.0/10 2-10) Aisha (Nightclubbing) 5:16 10.0/10 2-11) Aisha (Nightclubbing Instrumental) 5:14 10.0/10 Deluxe 2016 Release 227.0/230 = 9.87 / 2 = 4.93

Moody

I loved this album. It was consistently strange and catered to my taste perfectly. One of my favorites so far (i feel like that doesn't surprise anyone). this album isn't for everyone but it's definitely for me.

Switch this review around with Bad Brains, I got a bad brain. I guess since I can't remember much of this, that makes it mediocre? Bad Brains, 2. Contino Sessions, 5.

Absolute banger. Was closer to 4 than 5 but listened to aisha again. Such a good song.

Aisha has been one of my favourite tracks forever, and I’d always wanted to listen to the album it’s from. Strange that I never recognised Iggy’s voice though. Listened to it a few times over the past couple of days. Not many albums I can both intentionally listen to, and have them in the background while reading, but this works for me.

Super trippy. Sounds like the soundtrack to Dr Who if he existed in the Matrix universe. Flying sounds exactly like the Mighty Boosh theme song. Big journey album, constantly throws something different at you to think about. Highlight is definitely Aisha, big sucker for the spoken word styles. AISHA, I'M VIBRATING. Aladdin's Story is a close second, very cruisey sax and vocals.

The part in Aisha that goes "aaaaaaaaa"? Five stars for that alone.

five stars for the first track alone

Good!

Very vibey.

Fucking amazing, really haven't heard anything like it before. Can't be arsed to find the notes but feels like that sort of punk, dark music that London art students like done really, really well. Not lazy and leaving shit to chance. Somewhat groovy? Had an air of stone roses. Think they also sort of remind me of Underworld which will always help. Dirge and Aisha amazing tracks all through. 4 feels too low so I will go with 4.6.

Hearing this album again is like slipping into a warm friend. I really enjoy the mood it sets. And despite having owned this album since pretty much its release, I had genuinely no idea that it was Iggy Pop singing Aisha. I'm very glad I listened to it again. Might even listen to Dead Elvis next.

Me agrada haber esperado tanto tiempo para escribir este párrafo. Sin conocer nada de ellos de inicio me pareció que era un disco que la primera canción era espectacular y el resto iba bajando hasta quedar casi mediocre hacia el final. Después de darle varias oportunidades más es un disco que te va ganando y se va desdoblando poco a poco. Esa primera canción sigue siendo un punto altísimo, una pista espeluznante que comienza con un siniestro rasgueo de dos acordes de una guitarra eléctrica tintineante y un canto inquietante de "La La La La," a medida que avanza la canción, la tensión aumenta con un ritmo de bajo hipnótico y un teclado vintage hasta el punto en que se siente claustrofóbico. Establece el tono para el resto del disco y declara fuerte y a la cara que el disco va a ser un viaje oscuro. Canciones como "Dirge", así como "Soul Auctioneer" y "Broken Little Sister" logran usar muy pocas letras y están configuradas para pintar un paisaje sonoro visceral y surrealista que es tanto interesante como inquietante. Casi se puede escuchar un viento hueco que sopla a través de un cementerio desierto en una pista y una sirena a distancia que viene de un callejón en la siguiente. En muchos aspectos se convirtió en uno de esos discos que de verdad pinta imágenes en tu cabeza como si fuera una banda sonora a una película inexistente (lo cual también ahora me hace pensar en la infravalorada música de Barry Adamson y cómo me gustaría poder publicitarlo a mucha más gente). Adelante "Aisha" nos presenta un riff distorsionado y difuso que se reproduce una y otra vez con un ritmo de batería al estilo de AC/DC y letras narrativas de Iggy Pop sobre un asesino caníbal que vive en un cementerio terminando con un grito desgarrador y un solo de órgano sesentero a no más poder. Creo que se me hace muy interesante que en mi opinión no hay nada en este disco que te haga fan de la música electrónica si no eres fanático, y no convertirá a un fanático de la electrónica en música rock, pero, como fanático de los dos estilos creo que lo que hace tan deliciosamente es unir a esos dos estilos como pocos lo han hecho y dando un disco que ambos tipos de personas pueden disfrutar. Disco notablemente extraño e igualmente hermoso.

This was for me the 1999 release at the time and I listened to it a lot. Now in 2024 it sounds a little less special but still worth 5 stars (even worth 5 stars for all its Primal Scream vibes). On an aside: check out Trans-love Energies - their real masterpiece (10/10). score in 1999: 10/10 score in 2024: 9/10

very beck i like it a lot

Death in Vegas’ “The Contino Sessions” is very much up my alley. I love the sexy attitude here, with its driving beats, sultry basslines, rich synths, inventive sampling, etc that create a hypnotic atmosphere. The list of collaborators on this album is incredible - Iggy Pop, Andrew Weatherall, Bobby Gillespie, and more feature on this album which I was very happy about. This album reminds me a little of some trip hop records that have also come out from the U.K., like Massive Attack, Tricky, etc. The U.K. has a staggering amount of great electronic artists that hail from their country, and “The Contino Sessions” is yet another example of their excellence. I had a great time with this one! Too many standout tracks to name - I keep replaying “Aisha (Nightclubbing)”, such an awesome track. The “Nightclubbing” part of the title must be a reference to Iggy’s song “Nightclubbing” from his album “The Idiot”, which is also a great song. I’ll be revisiting this album a ton!

nice

Dark, unique, somewhat unorthodox but easy to listen to. Stand out tracks - Dirge - Soul Auctioneer - lever Street - Aisha - Aladdin's story

Love this a looooot

Rock On Tommy

Started off thinking it could be interesting and quirky but the singing quickly got annoying

this is heavenly. Dirge, the distorted guitar and melodic synth in Flying, the trumpet(?) in Aladdin's Story, the cover image is so beautifully composed only gripe I have is that Soul Auctioneer is very monotonous

Wild that this was released in 99. It's way ahead of its time, about 15 years too early. Some lovely cameos too.

Fav: Dirge Least Fav: Death Threat This was awesome, loved the mix of rock and electronic sounds together, like a rockier version of groups such as Portishead. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Atmospheric and cool

There's a thing to be said about repetition. Handled nicely, it can lead to a state of mind that makes you let go at last. It can lull you to sleep, but it can also break the barriers you routinely erect around you, and take you to higher level of awareness. And it's when repetition it has this hypnotic quality that it can transcend genres and trends. This album couldn't be further from a Steve Reich masterpiece, I'll grant you that. And yet I truly believe transcendence-via-repetition is *also* what it accomplishes here, and this as "dated" as said album sounds today. It's another sort of repetition--one you can come upon throughout decades of modern music, from The 13th Floor Elevators and The Velvet Underground to Jaimie xx, Porridge Radio or Crack Cloud. And this is why I don't care so much about the "nineties electronic rock" style displayed in this particular LP as I care about what it *does* within those confines. I remember listening to *The Contino Sessions* when it came out, mostly because of "Dirge"'s success among indie crowds (that simple "la-la-laaaaa" vocal line is just infectious). And if I wasn't enthralled to the point of buying the album then, I was still pretty enthusiastic about it... But what strikes me *now* is that I remember almost all the tracks in this LP, even though it's been ages since I listened to it: "Soul Auctioneer", with Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie sounding like a stoned bum on it ; the menace of *Death Threat" ; the elated "Flying", a more interesting and more abrasive version of an Archive cut ; weird big-beat rocker "Aisha" allowing Iggy Pop to let his iconic persona shine through (plus that oriental-sounding solo on a wind instrument in its midway point, as the chords modulate and up the ante--a touch of genius for sure!) ; "Lever Street" is moving like few instrumental interludes can be ; as for "Alladin's Story", this laidback-yet-surprising cover of an obscure Rolling Stones composition brings a welcome vintage atmosphere to the proceedings; "Broken Little Sister" then goes back to the band's more sinister side, like a version of Spiritualized with balls instead of the latter's harmless sing-song meanderings (and one can't thank The Jesus And Mary Chain's Jim Reid enough for his vocal performance here) ; and finally, closer "Neptune City", which goes full-psychedelic on the listener, using its guitar (or sitar?) loops to great effects. There's not a single dud in this album, actually, and I didn't expect to like it as much as I just did. So I'm buying it right now. I should have bought it decades ago, come to think of it. I'm also buying *Scorpio Rising*, the full-length record Death In Vegas released after this one, in 2023. Contrary to *The Contino Sessions*, there are a couple of duds in it. But the highlights are even more spectacular, with "Girls" of *Lost In Translation* fame, rocker "Scorpio Rising" (featuring Liam Gallagher--I can't resist adding "of Oasis fame" here, ha ha), plus Paul Weller (of *The Jam* fame) performing the vocals of that Gene Clark cover. Not to mention "Killing Smiles" and its lush string section, (featuring Hope Sandoval), and yet another great psychedelic closer, "Help Yourself"--also with Hope Sandoval, and this one ten minutes long. Now with those two records, I can say I have all Death In Vegas' essential albums. Or at least, that's how I feel... On a sidenote, and before ending this short review with the usual closing credits, I've just read the scalding review Pitchfork published about *The Contino Sessions* at the time Death In Vegas released it. Amazing how you can be wrong on so many levels. Mark my words, there's no problem expressing personal (dis)tastes, and mileages can vary when it comes to repetitive, "hypnotic" music. But when you're complaining about the so-called "bad" basslines in the album, or when you keep on comparing Death In Vegas with Primal Scream--even if they're very different animals (Primal Scream never used *repetition* in the way that Death In Vegas does)--it means you're either deaf or intellectually lazy. Or maybe both. Plus, apart from very few *bons mots* here and there, that review is terribly written. *The most trusted voice in music*. Yeah, right. Waiting for the moment when Pitchfork will give a non-"canon" retrospective grading to this LP, as they have already done in the recent past. In the meantime... Number of albums left to review: 497 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 239 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 114 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 147

Surprisingly awesome. Dirty, grimey, electronic fat throbbing beats. The lyrics get in the way more than they help the songs, but they are pretty sparse, so are only a minor distraction. Absolutely loved this vibe.

joder pues cunde un kilo

Surprisingly awesome!

Makes you feel cool. What else is there to say

I dug this album. The new-psychedelic mix of electronica and trip hop was pretty good. Reminded me a lot of Primal Scream, just not as interesting. I still enjoyed the listen though, it was good rhythmic background music. Favorite song: Dirge Least favorite song: Death Threat

Really liked this album! Was different for sure with its industrial/rock/alternative vibe but kept listening to it and didn’t get sick of it at all.

I had always written them off in the past, but most of this is quite enjoyable!

Great find. Never heard of Death In Vegas. This journey is going to take 3 years itself. Then I’m going to have another 3 years of going through the catalogues of my 4 and 5 star artists. I totally agree with Ivey that this is reminiscent of the Air - Virgin Suicides album.

This was cool. Had a massive attack vibe but more lively. Not sure when I’d listen to it again but glad I did.

so weird but really cool

It's Friday and I'm listening to an album from 1999 called The Contino Sessions by the band named Death in Vegas. They are described as rock, electronic, industrial and minimal techno. The first song off this album is great, I'm already quite hooked on it. It's groovy and pulsating all at once. I can imagine I would have enjoyed this in 1999, which would have been my time living and working in Washington DC. It's good music to work to. It has a good beat, there isn't a lot of singing, and it keeps on moving and rolling through. The 3rd track was very good and helpful in keeping me on track. And track #5 kicks in with Iggy Pop adding just the right amount of sneer to fit well with this album. This might need some further listening, which is not as common when working my way through these albums. The final song is great and a nice way to end with an insistent beat that you just have to grab onto.

"Vegas, baby. Vegas." I hate Las Vegas, also I don't remember this album being interesting. Perhaps, it was ahead of its time, now we need to schedule a trip to Vegas. For research.

I never even knew that an album of this caliber that I somehow hadn't heard was lurking out there. This is amazing. Best old new to me album I've heard in quite a long time. Hot damn!

Needs more bass. I want to listen to this while drinking in a cement basement club wearing all black.

4 out of 20 if ya KNOW WHAT I MEAN

There's something about this album that reaches deep. The grimy textures and the late night feel. Always loved it.

Not in my edition of the book! 1999. 4 stars Interesting Brit alt guitar rock that wants to be Godspeed You! Black Emperor when it grows up, but with lyrics. Could be the soundtrack to a cult urban horror film. Good if you like this sort of thing, which I do.

Wow. I knew nothing about these guys or the music they did. This was GREAT. Not the kind of thing I'd go to a concert for, or listen to in the car, or at a party. But excellent "Get work done" music. Dirge and Death Threat are big favorites

Great album of its time

Soul auctioneer... Somebody listened to highway 61 recently I guess. I liked this album a lot more than I probably should. I have a real soft spot for this late nineties electronica or whatever genre you would call this

A record with a lot of 90s Britpop swagger - had a good time listening to this. A kind of Oasis / Primal Scream thing going, with it's own dark streak and clever storytelling, while consistently paced and just the right length.

Enjoyed this. It fades into the background but in a good way I thought. Some of the vocals was a bit lame but overall good stuff

Slight psychedelic rock instrumental feels. Good background electronic album

Liked it! I might not have enjoyed it without reading a little about the group and the approach to this album. Surprise appearance by Iggy Pop!

Never heard these guys before. Weird synths and samples. Clanging guitars. Chunky beats and bass. Actually not too bad. Pleasantly surprised by this album. Stand out tracks: Death Threat, Aisha, Dirge.

This is why I keep going with this 1001. I've heard of Death in Vegas but never consciously listened to them. This is really where I'm at at the moment post-Covid with Putin threatening to bomb us and a worldwide financial crisis ongoing. Dark, gloomy, shoegaze and catchy.

This is ending up in the regular rotation

Some great songs and some forgettable. Dirge was the perfect opening to the album, and Aisha surprised me in a good way as well. 'Soul auctioneer' was the only song I actively disliked.

forgot how good

An excellent album. I particularly enjoy the part in "Flying" where it sounds like an HGV is reversing.

Solid, interesting stuff. I like the blend of sounds going on here, and the songs may be a little long but they develop themselves well enough that I don't mind it.

Instrumental vibes. Great album while working

Really surprised me actually

Excellent album, has one of my all time favourite tracks, 'Aisha'. Almost a 5.

Excellent album, didn’t realise that the singles came from this.

- disharmonies are intriguing, - will definitely listen to again but needs right mood - not listened to much shoegaze but might explore more

so tight, love love

Brilliant album. Some cracker tracks, mainly Dirge, Aisha, Neptune City.

Solid melodies, limited vocals, this plays mainly as an instrumental album and it is great. Post-rockers should take a note from this album, and quit trying to overcomplicate their music with forced chaotic bits, anti-melodies, etc. Beautiful is not quite the word to describe how this album plays, but there are moments where it is. The intelligence behind the compositions are what really stand out though, the intention of each track disposes any ambiguity, each track seeming to carry with it some "sense" of sense. What the album accomplishes at the cost of complexity, it makes up for in feeling. The rhythms and melodies at times may sound basic, but they managed well in their repetitive cycle, keeping songs feeling progressive rather than stagnate. Usually, songs and music without a feeling of purpose tend to get lost here and the rating inevitably goes down because of that. The same does happen here to a degree, but where this album succeeds for this review is that the question of 'Why?' is more introspective and quizzical rather than a frustrating disappointment.

- disharmonies are intriguing, - will definitely listen to again but needs right mood - not listened to much shoegaze but might explore more

Death in Vegas is a new band for me. IThere are enough sounds from guitars and drums on The Contino Sessions that it's not obvious that Death in Vegas plays electronic music. This album was a pleasant surprise. "Dirge", "Lever Street" or "Flying would give you a good example of what Death In Vegas does. There was one track, "Aisha", that had some spoken word that I did not enjoy. The track isn't terrible, but I would be tempted to skip the track if I played the album again. Because I enjoyed the album enough to continue listening to the remaining tracks on the extended album, I will round up from 3.5 stars to 4. I could come back to this album for a second listen.

Dirge and Aisha are the stand outs In this latenight comedown. I love this album and could listen to it I. A loop as the droney electronica washes over me

Went into this one blind, album cover really didn't give me much in terms of what to expect. Turns out to be a pretty solid heavy electronic album, really enjoyed the beats on this one was some great background music. The lyrics in some of the songs would normally be pretty cringey, but somehow in this case they made it work and it wasn't too bad. Definitely would listen again or check out some of their other works.

First time listening - pleasantly surprised

nice alternative electronic album, add to it vocals from various artists and you get a banger album

Amazing one, I enjoyed every song, this is some good stuff

I dug this, I reminded me of the stuff Primal Scream was doing around this same time (Bobby Gillespie even sings on one of the tracks) although it isn't as fun as Vanishing Point or as aggressive and scary as XTRMNTR. I guess if those two albums had a baby it might sound something like The Contino Sessions.

A decent album with a cool electronica/rock vibe, some well chosen guest stars and enjoyable swagger.

I am not familiar with this band. The electronica that they have recorded is pretty straightforward and listenable for me. The trancelike loops are engaging and interesting enough, although a couple of tracks did seem to be dragged out. Fun, but nothing particularly life changing here.

Electronic with soul. It’s dance music for grown ups

4/5 - Pretty Rad but Dated

5/4/2022 - ALBUM #97 Today's Album: "The Contino Sessions" by Death in Vegas - This album is one that really took me by surprise with each track. The opener, Dirge, is a really awesome track with these "la la la" background vocals that give the building instrumentals this really cool, yet kinda creepy, atmosphere to it. It's a clear highlight given just how nuts the band goes with wild effects while still keeping my engaged in this chilled out beat. The next track, Soul Auctioneer, continues with this brooding creepy atmosphere but it's even more elevated with this slow dragging rhythm and these really drugged out vocals. It honestly sort of sounds like Bob Dylan and even though I've shit on his vocals in the past, they actually really work well in this dark and creepy setting. Death Threat is a great instrumental track that surprised me in a variety of ways just on it's own. The strange noise in the background loop, the building electronic sound scape, and the interspersed more code give this track a really disorienting feel to it, but still somehow stays so engaging. The next track, flying, while still sounding somewhat similar to the previous songs, brightens things up with a more full rock instrumentation and these cool reversed synth accents. The track keeps getting crazier and crazier as it goes on and sort of reminds me of something King Gizzard or Psychedelic Porn Crumpets would do, with these blasted out distorted guitars hanging out quieter in the mix. This track has a great energy to it and the 7 minute runtime of it really doesn't ever feel bogged down. Aisha is a really strange track from the perspective of a serial killer that eats dead bodies. The narration feels super in your face and monotone and the band is really just showing their proficiency in creating these really solid, but creepy and uncomfortable instrumentals and they only get better as the track progresses. I have heard so many bands try to do this creepy sort of aesthetic, but this band does it in such a badass way it just works. Lever street is this really sweet instrumental that sounds fantastic, but I have to knock a few points off for it's progression being straight up Heart of Gold by Neil Young. Aladdin's story was the real big surprise on this record, brightening the usually broody dark instrumentals up to feeling pretty pleasant. The instrumental here is fantastic and the vocal really fits it well. I love the sax and organ in specific on this track. Broken Little sister probably falls the flattest out of the track list, feeling like some really generic grunge, and it just doesn't really go anywhere with it. Neptune City is a great instrumental closer to this album, feeling like it's uniting a lot of the electronical ideas throughout the project while balancing the dark and light aesthetics. Overall, this album is a fantastic listen for anyone that can handle something a little unconventional or experimental. Give this one a listen if you're more of an instrumental kind of person and like electronica. Highlights: Dirge, Death Threat, Flying, Aisha, Lever Street, Aladdin's Story, Neptune City Score: 7.5/10 Incredibly experimental, but so well done

Dirty guitars and synths. Guest vocalists before everyone was doing it. The first half is great and builds to a peak with Aisha. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Aisha Date listened: 10/05/22

Like a donkey punch to the back of the neck