Review Summary: After the Burial
It seems dubstep is everywhere these days; Rusko’s clownstep grows more popular every week and tunes like
Innocence and
Eastern Jam destroy dance floors even in commercial clubs. Whilst this is obviously an improvement on having to listen to Ke$ha every time one goes out, it unfortunately gives rise to the tendency to stereotype the entire genre as a ketamine coated, bass addled monstrosity; something which is simply not true. Locating the true shining diamonds buried deep in the bottomless bass sediment, however, takes substantial effort; fortunately Eleven Tigers’ debut
Clouds are Mountains is worth the exertion and then some.
Lithuanian born and raised, Jokubas Dargis lives in London, and it’s this dank, dirty and colossal labyrinth that has had the greatest influence on his music. It’s evident that he has spent a substantial amount of time meandering through the city streets, silently observing the nervous and fearful humanity that wanders forever lost in the infinite grey maze, scurrying blindly like moles through the fog. Yet because he has an outsider perspective and knows that fragrant forests exist beyond the concrete jungle he can paint his musical pictures with unbridled joy as well as melancholy.
Clouds is the aural canvas that captures the shadowy essence of humanity; a fluttering eyelash, a shy smile, a pale hand delicately brushing willowy hair away from shining eyes. It’s a meticulously crafted soundscape for his adopted city, and for the most part a stunning serenade. One hesitates to use the term post dubstep, but in this case perhaps it is fitting. Softly resonating bass throbs gently over two step drums that snap tantalizingly with irresistible momentum, whilst fidgety synths and incongruous vocals make up the delectable icing on this mouth watering musical dessert. Dargis has assiduously studied the ins and outs of dubstep, and at his best he can stand shoulder to shoulder with any bass mutator plying their trade in London today.
But his real talent, and the finest moments of
Clouds lie in subtle sublimity; Dargis has an astonishing talent for crafting fragile, mesmerizing pieces that are as delicate and translucent as fluttering snowflakes. The enthralling
Stableface, in the running for song of the year, is perhaps the best example of his skill; cut up vocals melt agonizingly into a gorgeously dreamy landscape of silky synths and yielding drums. It’s subtle, sexy, and arguably the best tune to come out of the UK since
Hyph Mngo.
A Lithuanian girl once told me about her native country; rampant corruption, high levels of theft, sexual violence and paedophilia. Then she showed me the pepper spray that she carries with her everywhere. To cheer her up, I handed her a copy of
Clouds; the only dangers lurking at the centre of this murky labyrinth are the seductive Sirens of sound, and they're too beguiling to be resisted
