Downbeat electronic producer Mark Andrushko (aka Delicate Noise) apparently began work on the sessions that would lead to this debut album “Diversion’ upon returning to his hometown of Chicago after living in Los Angeles, where he’d spent more than a decade acting in theatre and independent film. Released through the distinctly goth / industrial-leaning Chicago label Lens, in the accompanying bio for “Diversion’, Andrushko lists some of his primary musical influences as being Massive Attack and Alan Wilder’ post-Depeche Mode Recoil project, and indeed these particular touchstones come to mind as ever-present reference points, in addition to the stripped-back synthwork of DM’ recent “Playing The Angel’ and the tense creep of NIN’ more subdued yet sinister moments.
From the very outset, it’s obvious that darkly obsessive introspection is chief on the agenda, with opening track “Clearly’ placing stripped-back electro rhythms and wandering dubby bassline beneath foreboding synths and Andrushko’ tense-sounding vocals, and although it certainly manages to build dark atmosphere in a “Violator’-esque style, it’s hampered by Andrushko’ uncharismatic vocal presence and some woeful goth lyrics (“the damage I have done / even without a gun” being a prime example). “Invisible’ tosses in some jagged IDM elements, with fractured-sounding breakbeats and electronic squeals cutting a treacherous path beneath vast, icy synth sweeps and Andrushko’ near-whispered Numan-esque vocal delivery, before “Sin’ shows the Reznor influences pushing closer to the forefront, with a sparse pneumatic beat akin to “Closer’ powering beneath sinister shimmering synth pads and dark bass chords.
At this point, several particular comparison points start to come to mind that relate to Andrushko’ choice of Recoil, latter-day Depeche Mode and NIN as dominant influential touchstones here. While all of those aforementioned artists have become renowned for their meticulous attention to and use of sound design, much of “Diversion’ appears noticeably flat and colourless in comparison, often as a result of Andrushko’ use of beats and sounds that sound overly-familiar and somewhat “off-the-rack.’ Another problematic factor is Andrushko’ predominant use of his own vocals; in the case of Recoil, Alan Wilder finds a way to step around this by relegating himself to spoken cameos or backing roles whilst leaving the spotlight to a range of different guest collaborators. Andrushko’ distinctly flat and uncharismatic delivery unfortunately frequently renders the tracks here uncompelling, with the strangely muted vocals and unremarkable production sadly rendering much of “Diversion’ something less than the sum of its component parts.
Chris Downton
