Inverted – Doof
Rev
Any artist album that’s got a mostly nighttime bent is a tricky beast – it’s either got to be dazzlingly intricate (see Megalopsy) or varied and wide enough so as not to grate too much (Para Halu). Rev succeeds well on both counts, because without going too hell-for-leather he manages to keep the energy flowing: awesome production gets a host of mad noises juggled around over the top of effortless bass. Invurted kicks off this album, introducing a production style that’s very fluid and slinky, balancing a hefty bassline and copious energy with a certain funkiness that gets you listening and wanting more. Saucy is a delicious tune, dripping with psychedelic edge over a rolling, solid backbone. The sounds are swirly and hypnotic, peaking and falling perfectly, and really drawing you into the middle of it. Tasty. System Ducker sees the energy pick up a little pace, the vibe here suggests a kinda foreboding energy to it. It breaks and uses a tiny bot of what sounds to me like it’s Crockett’s Theme (backwards maybe?) before getting gnarlier again. Definitely full of energy this one. Track with a name to turn your stomach Hairy Fishnuts is tuffer and more menacing, with eerie rising noises in the background that sound like you’re hallucinating them over the top. It picks up into a veritable slice of nightmare forest music – but with incredibly intricate production and such a variety in the sounds. It really is staggering. Locket Rauncher is more of the same with a heftier kick – the bassline really makes this one, it’s adorably simple and simply adorable and really sucks you in. Once you’re in, Rev springs you all over the place and makes you sweat like a goodun. Once again the sounds are top-notch… I’m running out of superlatives! Dirty Converter is a tasty fucker and a half: it’s got a suspended, high-in-the-sky groove and has plenty of evil thrash to it. Don’t Ask Why gets mulchier and gnarlier still and actually starts to become hard to listen to… deep-sea acidlines mix in with half-heard vocals, with amazing panning and effects to really get you in the mood for psychiatric therapy come Monday, while Dunky Funk is sho nuff bigstyle stomp action. The mothership finally lands with Unleash The Beast, which you may have spotted isn’t exactly the name of something you’d play when the vicar comes over for tea. It sounds like the worst case of elephant diarrhoea you could ever dream of being standing behind, every bit as disconcerting and the sort of tune you’d want to put on the PA system if your plane was crashing. Phew. For my money, the cleverest and most intriguing stuff here is when Rev holds back a little: the really bangin’ stuff doesn’t have the clout of those megalopsy lads. But for the most part, this is awesome stuff –intelligent, individual trance to make the nighttime more interesting.
