Sinweldi’s third album in the space of twelve months is a collection drawn from his first two albums, Is Europe Dying? and L’Homme au Coeur de Fer, with some remixes, compilation tracks and previously unreleased songs thrown in also. As such, and including collaborations with prime movers such as Front Sonore and Art Abscons, this is very much a snapshot of the nexus where neofolk, martial industrial and dark electronic pop meet. Despite being a musical grab-bag, it has the cohesion and purpose of a composed album.
‘Mesz’ (Mitteleuropaische Sommerzeit?) opens the album with the sound of running water, restrained electric guitar, synth watercolours and beautiful sung and spoken word vocals from guest Agnese P. ‘The True Color [sic]of the Wind’ (as remixed by Gabe Unruh) is perhaps the highlight of the album – monolithic phased synth lines, chattering high-end synth parts, ominous drum rolls and sneering vocals containing a mix of defiance and anxiety.
‘Sommes nous reellement devenu plus heureux’ is a simple but effective blend of acoustic and electric guitars, filter-sweep synth sounds, and heartfelt vocals, with sampled cinema dialogue over the end. ‘All the Things You Should Never Do’ seems to carry an echo of New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ with its similar looping chord sequence, bass synth drones and string synth parts. ‘Love in Time of War’ is a killer blend of EQ-morphing string synth, thick bass drones, almost Italo-house piano, and club-friendly beats, all topped off with Sinweldi’s heavily ironic vocals.
Available for free download from La Caverne du Dragon here.
Ewan Burke
