Review Summary: Dark matter
Shapednoise has a penchant for gut-churning techno noisemaking, but even his best prior work (see:
Until Human Voices Wake Us) felt a bit confined. Alternatively, his last LP,
The Day of Revenge, leaned more toward the dark ambient realm, and was mostly ineffective. With
Different Selves, producer Nino Pedone occupies a greater sonic space. As opener “Enlightenment” takes form, it’s uncertain whether Shapednoise is on the outside looking in, or vice versa: a looming, unidentifiable behemoth, or a cold, industrialized metropolis.
Different Selves is full of biomechanical compositions, similar to Rabit’s
Communion from earlier this year, but ultimately more punishing. On follow-up “Intruder”, Pedone inhales sharply before hammering with multiple strikes that seem to leap down from skyscrapers at physics-defying rates. Shapenoise has fine-tuned his ability to texturize sounds, giving his songs a sense of wide-open space, yet driving you into a corner.
Different Selves maintains its tightrope anxiety throughout most of its runtime, with plenty of nuances. “What Is it Like?” uses rhythmic muting, giving you glimpses of indecipherable, rumbling chaos that spills into the empty spaces between. The noise rubs with the consistency of coarse sandpaper, and the smudgy drums kick at the stomach - this is hardly dance music. "Heart-Energy-Shape” calls to mind a (relatively) more nostalgic take on industrial-tinged techno, like taking Regis’s
Gymnastics, opening the access panel, removing the reverb kicks, and mixing up the wiring. The lighter, speedier synths don’t make the track less demanding, and it churns with the subtlety of a knife twisting in a wound. “The Man from Another Place” sends rapid pulses through the air like a helicopter blade with each rotation, further showcasing Pedone’s high physicality.
Listeners not privy to Shapenoise might be put off by the relentlessness of his newest LP. While some similarly-equipped producers opt for tension builds and releases - and often fail - Nino aims for the nerves' roots directly, and the efficiency pays off. Despite being pretty noisy, this is Shapednoise’s tightest, most focused effort under this moniker. The gargantuan, industrial techno-inspired noise on
Different Selves moves like volcanic lahar - vast, impending, and devastating.
