Gridlock is an American electronic duo based in San Francisco (created 1994). Although mostly ignored by Pitchfork and other big magazines while rarely being on various top lists, Mike Cadoo and Mike Wells have still managed to gain a fine group of supporters who appreciate their music.
Starting with "The Synthetic Form", the album picks up the genre of Industrial in a new way, merging it with electronics to create a dense and eerie atmosphere that is rarely found in the scene. On "Further", their second album, their experimentation is deeper and more euphoric in its breadth. This depth is ultimately the reason that makes their 2001 release "Trace" so terrific. The screaming vocals are almost completely gone, replaced by Lynda Mandolyn's angelic voice entwined with effects. Beautiful, spherical synths shape the entire album, coupled with the hallmark Gridlock sound - something that made previous albums so special. A fantastic record in which you want to lose yourself over and over again.
But what about "Formless"? Straight to the point: This is their masterpiece, and one of the best electronic albums ever recorded! It is in my all-time top 10 list, and even in the top 5 across all genres. Images shoot through your head while listening to it: I'm sitting somewhere on the roofs of Frankfurt and looking out at the skyline. I pull on a cigarette slowly, as the smoke rises into the night sky. Colors and shapes blur together; everything appears formless. "Formless is like the best movie you've never seen," a fan writes in one of countless reviews online, which hits the nail on it’s head!
I admit it may take time to get into the album. Many beats are enormous, chaotic and so damn noisy that it can blow your ears if you are not prepared. But there is beauty in this chaos. Even the introduction on the album "Pallid" does not make it easy for the listener. The drums crack on you like thunder. Everything sounds distorted and surreal until the two mikes swing to a final blow as the melody chimes in and you fly along with it. An epic anthem!
What makes “Formless” so unique are these other-worldly, breathtakingly beautiful sounds which I've never heard in this form. These sounds are so open-hearted, shaped into beautiful melodies that are woven with precision into Gridlock's harsh, industrial beats. You can only stand back in astonishment. The best example of this is on "Return", perhaps the most beautiful piece of music that I have ever heard. To achieve this result, they have again brought aboard Lynda Mandolyn, who rounds out the song perfectly. If you look behind the chaos after the first listen, everything seems very well-thought and composed.
Another highlight is the wistful "Invert" with beautiful, catchy melodies that are a constant thread throughout the song, gently dancing over a live-drum-like beat towards the end. The dynamics on “Chrometaphor" develop simlarly, only less gently. It takes about half of the time as more elements are added, until the pace unexpected completes its escalation. By the end, it feels as if you were under an alien attack. All aside, the album moves from peak to peak - building up and destroying with incredible beauty - before it closes with a fantastic piece of ambient music, "Done Processing". For a short moment, Lynda Manolyn returns once more on "Atomontage", her voice like an angelic choir, accompanied by massive drum patterns and epic drones. Incredibly good!
There was a time when "Trace" was my favorite Gridlock album, but over the years I've come to appreciate “Formless” more and more. What a ***ing great album. It's as dark as it is bright, as brutal as it is gentle, and as simple as it is chaotic. Gridlock, in short, is perhaps the most underrated electronic act of all time.
FAV TRACKS: Pallid, Return, Invert, Chrometaphor, Atomontage
LEAST FAV TRACK: Distance
