Review Summary: An interesting blend of erratic and playful.
Before even establishing a sense of comfort,
Furtherance almost immediately elicits feelings of bemusement. You see, after a brief alternative rock influenced riff introduces opening track ‘Pokemon Puppy I’, sparse layers of electronic beats are slowly draped over the top – however, this isn't what sparks the confusion. What
does is the somewhat unconventional evolution that follows shortly after. Periodically shifting and changing, sometimes smoothly, other times abruptly, this Frankenstein's monster of an album shows just how cohesive a touch of chaos can be.
Similarly to his (perhaps more refined) Storm Daughter project, artist John King displays a comparable willingness to experiment. Excitable electronic elements intermingle freely with a guitar driven rock vibe, punctuated every so often by interesting vocal samples. Although the two bands share some commonalities, what separates them is a matter of both theme and restraint. If the Frankenstein analogy can be stretched further, Storm Daughter is the same creature minus the shoddy stitching and incompatible connections – initially better looking, but missing the intriguing idiosyncrasies. Where Storm Daughter sacrificed anarchy for smooth transitions, Nightmare Puppy’s
Furtherance shows no such hesitance in moving in and out of zones deemed sensible.
While the albums most striking feature is indeed it's consistent display of inconsistency, it's not the only attention-grabbing aspect in the mix. Whether it's a soaring synth, a buzzing bass track, or the keyboard solo wrapped up in ‘Tourniquet’; there's always some element vying for your attention. The lighthearted atmosphere established in the two ‘Pokemon Puppy’ tracks is carried along throughout, somehow easing the inevitable jumps. Simply put, everything works because
Furtherance feels at ease with its imbalance, and though the thought of sporadic changes in style may seem disruptive, the album largely maintains its flow – quite impressive considering its fluctuating nature. Some segues don't work quite as well as others, often feeling too ambitious in their bridging. Moments like these become especially evident in the latter half of the album. Additionally, the sudden dynamic changes in ‘Moonshine’ feel too unnatural to properly work, although they are all too effective at robbing you of your attention. There are also examples throughout of effective switches in style alongside equally awry ones. ‘Cliffface of Hostiles Serpents’ clumsily moves from softer, slower moments that tumble into one another, into the harsh ‘cliff face’ of an opposing frenzy of energetic speed. Despite containing some of the most interesting moments of the album, the boundaries between sections are much too clearly defined to coalesce smoothly.
So while the album gets off to a running start, it's tenuous amalgamation inhibits it from ever reaching its full potential. And while it's clear that there's definitely something of merit to take away from the wild eschewing of organic changes, the technique still needs some work before it can be considered reliable. As a whole, the album is chock full of excellent ideas that are executed precisely, and when the lack of structure works the experience is exceptional. Now all that remains is to isolate the successful examples from the rest.
