Review Summary: Nonsense has never sounded so serene
The Essex lads that are the electronic duo of Ultramarine, Ian and Paul, were always hard to pat down into a single category since their late 80s inception. Their debut album, Folk, flirted with jazzy prog-rock, whereas their follow up, Every Man and Woman is a Star, stuck to a more techno blueprint – quite a dramatic evolution considering only a year separates the two releases. Combining this insight with the 6 year gap since their last full-length (2013’s
This Time Last Year), it comes as no surprise that
Signals into Space is yet another stylistic stretch. This time, the boys have explored the more cerebral and odder aspects of their era (Aphex Twin, Autechre and the likes) while fully employing their specialist knowledge of live instrumentation to give
Signals into Space a breath of life we rarely see from similar artists.
The most immediate takeaway from
Signals into Space is just how raw and natural the instrumentation feels, and more importantly, the way it manages to perfectly harmonise with the more futuristic elements. Check the sharp and incredibly metallic synthline of “If Not Now When?”, where amidst the mechanics lies an array of shimmering cymbals and a simple maracas shake. “Arithmetic” furthers this trend, sounding like a few techno-enthusiast aliens from planet gurn came down to hijack a university drum circle, seeing as the track seamlessly flicks between chanting bongo drums and jittery synth shenanigans. However, it’s the inclusion of slap-tubes on “Breathing” that ranks as my favourite tweak – you know, the hollow PVC pipes that are slapped by either paddle or flip-flop, depending on one’s personal taste. Although, what I find really astounding is when the duo goes beyond on the heavenly “Spark from Flint to Clay”. Here, they leave out the electronic bleeps and bloops in place of simple guitar plucks and sung vocals - sounding more like a band effort than a digital creation. The way this track subtly swoops in after the opening tricky techno bop of “Elsewhere” is both brave and remarkable.
What allows these clashes of sound to exist on
Signals into Space is the exquisite compositional skills of the duo themselves. Their understanding of sound dynamics is sublime. Every instrument is presented in its purest form – just listen to how the forlorn saxophone hums away on “Breathing” where each subtle change in breath can be fully felt. Moreover, when new layers seep in and leave, they do so with the utmost precision. No matter how jarring or awkward a sound may appear, the duo manages to guide it into the album’s main flow as a gentle tributary. These aforementioned skills are best exhibited on the intriguing ambient piece, “Equatorial Calms”. The track arrives at a sleepy pace with natural ambience supported by soft guitars and keys, later erupting into peculiar static squelches that seem to follow no rhythm or structure. Bamboozling, surprisingly fluid.
When I first saw the name Ultramarine, I instinctively thought of the futuristic, tabletop war game, Warhammer 40,000, where heavily armoured and brutish “Ultramarines” incapable of intercourse systematically do battle with aliens who do too much of the aforementioned activity. Funnily enough though, the name Ultramarine is actually derived from a colour of the same name – supposedly one of the deepest blues around today. Seems a lot more fitting than what I had in mind, considering this new release is an immersion of tranquillity despite all of its intricacy. However, in a manner similar to their galactic counterparts, it is without doubt that Ultramarine have deftly explored the outer reaches of their sound and skill on
Signals into Space. Yet at the same time, I’m sure they have a lot more to discover.
