Shapednoise
Different Selves


3.5
great

Review

by Jots EMERITUS
December 16th, 2015 | 31 replies


Release Date: 2015 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Dark matter

Shapednoise has a penchant for gut-churning techno noisemaking, but even his best prior work (see: Until Human Voices Wake Us) felt a bit confined. Alternatively, his last LP, The Day of Revenge, leaned more toward the dark ambient realm, and was mostly ineffective. With Different Selves, producer Nino Pedone occupies a greater sonic space. As opener “Enlightenment” takes form, it’s uncertain whether Shapednoise is on the outside looking in, or vice versa: a looming, unidentifiable behemoth, or a cold, industrialized metropolis. Different Selves is full of biomechanical compositions, similar to Rabit’s Communion from earlier this year, but ultimately more punishing. On follow-up “Intruder”, Pedone inhales sharply before hammering with multiple strikes that seem to leap down from skyscrapers at physics-defying rates. Shapenoise has fine-tuned his ability to texturize sounds, giving his songs a sense of wide-open space, yet driving you into a corner.

Different Selves maintains its tightrope anxiety throughout most of its runtime, with plenty of nuances. “What Is it Like?” uses rhythmic muting, giving you glimpses of indecipherable, rumbling chaos that spills into the empty spaces between. The noise rubs with the consistency of coarse sandpaper, and the smudgy drums kick at the stomach - this is hardly dance music. "Heart-Energy-Shape” calls to mind a (relatively) more nostalgic take on industrial-tinged techno, like taking Regis’s Gymnastics, opening the access panel, removing the reverb kicks, and mixing up the wiring. The lighter, speedier synths don’t make the track less demanding, and it churns with the subtlety of a knife twisting in a wound. “The Man from Another Place” sends rapid pulses through the air like a helicopter blade with each rotation, further showcasing Pedone’s high physicality.

Listeners not privy to Shapenoise might be put off by the relentlessness of his newest LP. While some similarly-equipped producers opt for tension builds and releases - and often fail - Nino aims for the nerves' roots directly, and the efficiency pays off. Despite being pretty noisy, this is Shapednoise’s tightest, most focused effort under this moniker. The gargantuan, industrial techno-inspired noise on Different Selves moves like volcanic lahar - vast, impending, and devastating.



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user ratings (7)
3.4
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
Jots
Emeritus
December 16th 2015


7584 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

"Enlightenment (ft. Justin Broadrick)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKhcurl2l8c

purchase here: https://boomkat.com/products/different-selves

3.3/5

stream http://www.thewire.co.uk/audio/tracks/listen-to-shapednoise-new-album-different-selves (thx Wrenking)

Archelirion
December 16th 2015


6594 Comments


Dark techno? Definitely gonna check this out. Also imaginary pos, review was killer.

Jots
Emeritus
December 16th 2015


7584 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

it's "dark techno" in a liberal sense... it's more of a structured noise album (shapednoise, if u will).

Archelirion
December 16th 2015


6594 Comments


Yeah, I've got through the first and am now listening to the second and am already getting that impression, not that I mind. If the rest of the album is this is good, then this is just gonna be ANOTHER change made on my provisional EOY list.

Gyromania
December 17th 2015


37468 Comments


dark matter is fascinating stuff

Jots
Emeritus
December 17th 2015


7584 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

the opener reminds me of that one Futurama episode where the UFO makes a series of tones, and Fry travels into his subconscious to discover the source. that got me thinking about Nibbler, which in turn got me thinking about dark matter, which in the show is super heavy. kinda like the noises present on this.



so, that's the connection. i'm lazy with summaries

Archael
December 17th 2015


1163 Comments


oooh sounds fun

Lord(e)Po)))ts
December 17th 2015


70256 Comments


good review, would give it a perfect score of 3.2 out of 3.2

Jots
Emeritus
December 17th 2015


7584 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

stop brown-nosing, thanks



ಠ‿↼

Lord(e)Po)))ts
December 17th 2015


70256 Comments


thats my natural skin tone...

hal1ax
December 17th 2015


15777 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

checking this so hard tmrw. good review as per usual j0hnny

hal1ax
December 17th 2015


15777 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

:[

how come?

hal1ax
December 17th 2015


15777 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

fer sherr

Flugmorph
December 17th 2015


34905 Comments


oh yes please more industrial i get cancer but whatevs

RadicalEd
December 17th 2015


9546 Comments


Doesn't really sound like my kind of thing, but good review nonetheless.

Lord(e)Po)))ts
December 18th 2015


70256 Comments



tbqh i did not like this at all.


:[
how come?


because he hates music.

Archael
December 18th 2015


1163 Comments


i think it's pretty good, tryna figure out how good

Jots
Emeritus
December 18th 2015


7584 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

what did you like?

Jots
Emeritus
December 18th 2015


7584 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

RIP Sach of December 3 - 18 (stay dead) (( ;) ))

hal1ax
December 19th 2015


15777 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Banned ?? Lol why he being such a nutterpickle



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