Review Summary: The allure of urban decay.
Dan Johansson’s countless forays (under countless different monikers) into experimental music; from electroacoustic to drone, tape music and back, have all added a little bit of colour to Sewer Election’s harsh noise works. At first nothing more than volume-over-all noise-by-numbers, over the years, Johansson has been able to shape the project into one of the more instantly recognisable harsh noise artists in the scene; his unique take on the aptly-titled niche of “junk noise”, inflected with subtle tape manipulations and added dynamics that the genre so often sorely lacks, giving the project a character all of its own.
Wreck, in this sense, feels very much like a retrospective: taking little bits of influence from every previous work, failed attempt, and misstep along the way. Walls of industrial-gone-batshit-crazy junk metal abuse and waves of feedback -- reminiscent of Sewer Election’s early days of
As Loud As Possible-inspired harsh noise -- crumble into hypnotic, yet equally atonal tape loops and musique concrete-esque abstractions, and further into strange moments of cut-up noise that manage to frighten and confuse as they appear and reappear amidst brief periods of silence.
Wreck seems schizophrenic in this regard, but for each detour that it takes, it manages to retain that ever-so-tenuous grasp of control. Every shift feels purposeful; as if improvised, but sure in its footing. Little tricks-of-the-trade that were previously adulterated by Johansson (hard-panning, use of silence, fleeting melodies) now fit into place rather than sticking out for all of the wrong reasons -- complementing rather than obstructing.
Johansson’s ability to take influence from far-spread areas of electronic and experimental music, without falling into the trap of turning
Wreck into a hodge-podge of these only serves to show how much he has grown, and continues to grow as an artist. Although
Wreck remains a harsh noise album at its core, it is an example of how to create noise that whilst punishing, is expansive -- constructive as well as explosive. Yet, for all of its triumphs and successes,
Wreck ultimately leaves one question begging: where to from here?
