I have to confess that, with it’s mock gothic cover photo, the first few minutes of synthetic atmosphere, then second track ‘Seems Like Static’ with Gibby Miller’s warbling vocals, I quickly wrote Louderbach off as the latest in a long line of Joy Division worshippers repackaging their heroes’ moves. But a small amount of patience was rewarded and the self-consciousness of the opening to Autumn was given context and made great sense.
In spite of initial neo-goth appearances, the album is a deep, diverse, sincere and rewarding experience. Musically, the duo use a heavy, dark form of minimal house as the basic template, but stray into other paths liberally while maintaining a great focus and weight. At times, most notably on ‘Nothing More Than A White Poison’, the sound is firmly rooted to early 90s Detroit style techno-futurism, all pulsing bottom end, pitch shifted vocal samples and brooding synths. ‘Sunspots’ show there’s always room for 808 drum samples if used well. Album closer ‘Shine’ reintroduces the early Bernard Sumner vocal stylings, but by this stage any thoughts of 80s retro-ism have well and truly been dispelled.
It’s an interesting mix of influences, but a mix which the duo make seamless. Their dual locations of Berlin and Los Angeles also make perfect sense. Any initial reservations I had are completely removed now – Louderbach’s dark, pulsing, melodic blend has definitely won me over.
Adrian Elmer
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