Review Summary: Shards of robotic electricity
I don't really like writing about music anymore, for the most part anyway, but ever since I discovered Hexalyne's Sorin Paun and his wonderful music two years ago I've kind of made it my unofficial mission of singing -- and, yes, writing -- about his work's amazing quality, loud and wide. This year's most recent album of his, Scillocsenports, is a wonderful surprise for abstract IDM fans; and as is often the case with a new favorite album from an artist, I find myself returning to his prior work and reassessing and enjoying it even more and more.
The latest focus of mine is Hexalyne's third proper album from late 2023, Exivvaves; and damn, what a beautiful album it is -- if a bit on the short side. Exivvaves is the second release in a planned trilogy of albums Hexalyne is putting out for the music label Point Source Electronic Arts, with the first entry being 2022's equally impressive Null Surfaces. If all goes well, Sorin Paun hopes to have the concluding piece of the trilogy out by next year, and indeed, his prolific rate of output is very impressive.
Being the second album of the trilogy, Exivvaves of course picks up where Null Surfaces left off from its ninth track, "Metl Sine Surfaces." The latter song's glitchy atmospherics and random plodding drums swing right into "Exiflod"s spastic, electrical barrage of beats. This track is an immediate highlight and showcases the best of Hexalyne's work and why I love him so much as an artist. The music here is very reminiscent of Richard Devine when he's at his most intense -- think "Corina Chirac" from Devine's album Asect:Disect; its beats and charged pads are sharp yet subtly melodic, having me return again and again.
From there, the album moves sporadically like a lightning bolt through a summer thunderstorm. "Exiconal" is very reminiscent of Autechre's Confield work; it's cold and mechanical, yes, but the reward for returning to the music is always high: so much depth and nuisance in the details. "Exinear Linead" likewise returns with some of the energy from opener "Exiflod". Static glitches meld and gel into a memorable symphony of an icy robotic anthem. Each song seamlessly moves into the next, and in my opinion, the whole of Exivvaves could have been released as one thirty-seven-minute piece.
However, it's disheartening that the album ends so soon -- though admittedly a half-hour-plus length is not short when compared to that of other albums, of course. But compared to Hexalyne's other releases, Exivvaves seems all too brief. There is, however, the inclusion of the digital bonus tracks that go a long way into remedying this problem: "Exiadd On" and "Dron Ent Coda". The prior is probably the weakest addition here, if I have to name one, owing largely in part to sounding a bit out of place and lacking much distinction or memorability. "Dron Ent Coda", however, works as a powerful closing epic that adds an assortment of watery blasts and an ominous symph line that poignantly stands out. The song is reminiscent of 2000s Tim Hecker, in fact, with blasts of abstract ambiance bringing things to a close. Reportedly from the artist himself, this song will act as a segue into his trilogy's final album.
Exivvaves is a powerful IDM release -- as is all of Hexalyne's work up the present -- and has me returning to it often. It is a bit reminiscent of Null Surfaces before it, yes, but where that album contains more abstract atmospherics, particularly in its latter half, Exivvaves places more emphasis on a glitchy beat-driven assortment of songs; much more in your face, you could say, which might appeal to a different set of IDM fans. If the recent Scillocsenports excited you, and if you aren't sure where to go next regarding Hexalyne's work, Exivvaves is a perfect next stop. Modern-day IDM doesn't get much better than this.
