Review Summary: It's an Emptyset record.
Emptyset is an England-based duo that brings the term 'bass music' to an unprecedented level. Their albums have always been reminiscent of horror or sci-fi movie soundtracks. There are never words. The entire palette of noise is heavy low frequencies, and static that chops itself apart like a helicopter blade slices through the air. The members of the duo combine those sounds utilizing their keen ear for rhythm and placement. Their albums aren't
bad. They just always follow this formula.
However,
Borders was expected to be at least somewhat different. There was a peculiar radio silence from 2013 after they released their sixth album, Recur. It was their second release that year, and the year prior also had two releases. Two years later, they released a short EP called Signal. Another two years went by with nothing. Now, in the first month of 2017, we finally have a completely new full-length album. It's also been released on Thrill Jockey, a first for the band. All the signs pointed to this being a new direction for Emptyset.
It barely is. One of the few differences between this album and others from the past is the very slight inclusion of what sounds like genuine instrumentation. The song 'Speak' contains something being plucked like a string, but it's very difficult to make out what it is. The ever-present bass and static covers it up almost entirely. Despite there being no words across the whole album, the titles of each song appear to make some mildly cohesive story. The third song is named 'Descent' and the third to last song is 'Ascent'. There's a juxtaposition of two songs named 'Sight' and 'Retrieve' as if some sort of creature has seen something it wants and takes it.
Borders is another Emptyset album. It does not offer an explanation as to why there's a four-year gap between this major release and the last one. Like every Emptyset album before it, it is not a poorly-constructed piece. There's still artistic merit here. I found this to be pleasant, and it is easy to see and appreciate all the technical skill necessary for this, but I get exactly the same feeling from all of their material. There is nothing left to say.
Borders is an episode in a seemingly never-ending series.
