Loess – Wind And Water (n5MD)

Apparently taking their name from the geological process by which loose soil particles are formed into dunes, Loess (aka Clay Emerson and Ian Pullman) have recently relocated from the urban surrounds of Philadelphia to New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, a move to comparative wilderness vividly captured on this latest album. Indeed, much of “Wind And Water’ flows with a seemingly effortless yet inexorable pace that certainly mirrors the simultaneous formation and destruction forged by the two natural elements of the title. Constructed predominantly around detuned drones (both synthetic and derived from acoustic instrumentation) and downbeat IDM rhythms, it’s tempting from the outset to label Loess with the “sounds like BOC’ tag, as the poignant, sepia-toned productions easily call to mind the Warp duo, but persistent listening soon reveals that Emerson and Pullman are following their own distinct muse. While glitch-ridden, icily melodic moments such as “Greensland’ and “Cresheim’ could almost pass for something off “Music Has The Right To Children’, tracks such as the dub-informed, bass heavy “Lomond’ show Loess taking things into less charted territory, ghostly melodicas adding a distinctly human counterpoint to the meticulous rhythmic programming. Unlike BOC’s slightly awkward increased use of guitar textures on their recent “Campfire Headphase’ record, “Wind And Water’ shows Loess crafting a far more convincing and poignant fusion of manipulated post-rock elements and icily precise electronics than many other artists exploring similar territory. A headphone film score waiting to happen, “Wind And Water’ definitely deserves investigation.