Endling
Proper Nouns


4.0
excellent

Review

by doofy USER (31 Reviews)
June 5th, 2020 | 77 replies


Release Date: 2020 | Tracklist

Review Summary: I make known the end from the beginning

When you picture the world of Endling it’s one that’s forever cast in dappled sunlight, surrealistic and disorientating, at once comforting but also unsettling. Our anchor in this strange/strangely familiar land is our narrator, though frequently his words betray deep unrest and troubling scenarios; the feeling you’re left with is akin to that you instinctively sense when attempting to navigate yourself while trapped within a semi-lucid dream; your sensory instincts are just ‘off’, has reality been knocked askew?

Suitably ‘Proper Nouns’ opens with the track that sounds the most dreamlike and near-medicated; ‘Superlatives’ is an immersive ‘portal’ that you slowly slip through, the song unfolding at a pace that affords the listener a moment to readjust to their new liquid surroundings. The Knife-like sonic stabs that herald the start of ‘Holidaymakers’ tell you you’ve now arrived at your destination along with a cast of fellow humanoids ‘filing through queues’. From here we enter the ‘Night Markets’, and this song is a revelation, boasting the sort of vocal melodies that Mark Kozelek or Neil Halstead would have embraced in the heyday of early ‘90s slowcore, only here they’re backed by rumbling bass tones and skittering drums.

The middle stretch of the album luxuriates in the atmosphere established by the opening trio, letting us drift further into this uncanny hinterland. ‘Sommelier’ is the song that sounds most like home, only with a dash of self aware homesickness stirred in for good measure; the distorted ghostly backing vocals remind us that perhaps we’re still half slumbering. ‘Dysania State’ confirms suspicions, asserting the ‘last thing I need is sleep’ over a spacious backdrop of piano and subtle electronics. Between these two tracks lies ‘Vianden’, a moment of emotional clarity with the repeated sampled backing vocals becoming a mantra of sorts as the lyrics paint prophetic images of sparrows falling in a ‘boundless sea’.

This image, along with all the other accumulated expressions of restlessness, unease and foreboding ultimately lead to the ‘doomsday scenario’-titled ‘Fires Raging in the Arctic’. Despite the nightmarish handle, the song itself only hints at a more all-encompassing collective devastation, instead returning to the individual once more, a man left to ‘build a home from the dust’. There’s a glimmer of resilience and hope in this gently swelling composition and that feels like the right note to strike; though ‘Proper Nouns’ isn’t afraid to leave the listener lost and seeking from time to time, it never threatens to set us totally adrift.



Recent reviews by this author
Geordie Greep The New SoundThe The Ensoulment
John Grant The Art of the LiePerry Blake Death Of A Society Girl
Bonny Light Horseman Keep Me on Your Mind/See You FreeRichard Thompson Ship to Shore
user ratings (18)
3.3
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
DoofDoof
June 5th 2020


15875 Comments


Really wanted to put this up early, hope I’ve done it some justice - stellar work by anatelier

Available on Bandcamp and Spotify

SandwichBubble
June 5th 2020


13812 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Oh?

anat
Contributing Reviewer
June 5th 2020


5830 Comments


Really appreciate the write-up Doof! Link here for anyone interested: http://endlinguk.bandcamp.com/album/proper-nouns

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
June 5th 2020


32179 Comments


Ooooooohhh! A Doof review of an Anatelier album? Sweeeet...

DoofDoof
June 5th 2020


15875 Comments


Thanks anatelier, was originally going to take longer over the write up but then I really like when a new album gets a review straight off the bat and everyone can start talking about it right away :D

I guess the review is quite impressionistic but then the album feels a lot like that a bit too - totally get that for some the album won't feel 'cast in dappled sunlight' and that might just have come from me test driving on sunny days and at the gloaming/witching hour. For me it clicked with those visuals, it really blended, though I also gave it some nighttime headphone listens too.

tyman128
Staff Reviewer
June 5th 2020


4608 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Great review, Doof! This definitely piques my interest, just downloaded and gonna give it a spin later today

dedex
Staff Reviewer
June 5th 2020


12829 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Great review indeed Doof. Imma jam this this afternoon

DoofDoof
June 5th 2020


15875 Comments


Thanks tyman, dedex - definitely give this a go

anat
Contributing Reviewer
June 5th 2020


5830 Comments


I realise the irony in that an "endling" is the very last individual of an extinguishing species, and I had to use the (UK) suffix because there's already an Endling in the database

DoofDoof
June 5th 2020


15875 Comments


That endling was mistaken - there was one to follow ;)

My original review title was 'Last of its species / first of its kind' but I dropped it for the biblical one for added gravitas !

God is your co-pilot

anat
Contributing Reviewer
June 5th 2020


5830 Comments


It's up on Spotify too now: https://open.spotify.com/album/39CCprWuyosba7I8cwxPKJ?si=zxCcGnBDRMa8ZR-nOxIlCw

DoofDoof
June 5th 2020


15875 Comments


When’s the vinyl release scheduled? ;)

Album cover would look great on a record

tyman128
Staff Reviewer
June 5th 2020


4608 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

finally started jamming, really digging the chill vibe to it

"semi-lucid dream" seems like the best descriptor for it so far for sure

JesperL
Staff Reviewer
June 5th 2020


5664 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

this sounds super lovely

tyman128
Staff Reviewer
June 5th 2020


4608 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Really enjoyed this a lot, could definitely see this grow on me a lot with more listens

Great work anatelier!

Sowing
Moderator
June 5th 2020


44509 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Somehow I knew about this release yet had no idea it was a sputnik user project. Weird.



This is really laid back and pretty. Will rate in due time - nice work on this album.

dedex
Staff Reviewer
June 5th 2020


12829 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

this is really cool so far

Bedex
June 5th 2020


3141 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off

Already has a review, and it's featured? The sput community at its best :] will listen in the next few days

anat
Contributing Reviewer
June 5th 2020


5830 Comments


Appreciate all your comments, thanks!

Sowing
Moderator
June 5th 2020


44509 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

This fits in nicely as a more atmospheric counterpart to that Modern Nature record - both very understated/lo-fi. That one pops more and this one is dreamier. 'Dysania State' and 'Fires Raging in the Arctic' are my favorite songs off this so far.



You have to be logged in to post a comment. Login | Create a Profile





STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy