Thus Owls - Black Matter

  by Keith How

published: 23 / 12 / 2015

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A six track EP from Montreal duo Thus Owls sports a rather attractive minimalist cover that gives no hint of the content of the enclosed disc. I was suspecting a rather ambient offering due to the liner notes declaring the involvement of Icelandic composer and producer Daniel Bjarnason whose work I admire, but ‘Black Matter’ turns out to be a fairly dark and brooding affair. The band claimed that this release would be a “stripped back” and experimental work but that is not how I heard the album. For me the concept has a claustrophobic element that subdues the listening experience. Foremost in the mix are the impassioned vocals of singer Erika Angell whose powerful delivery lends an air of desperation to the opener ‘Asleep in the Water’. The gothic noir atmosphere envelopes all six tracks and gives the feeling of being hidden behind thick dark curtains where hardly a shaft of light can sneak in. Sonically ‘Black Matter’ is interesting rather than experimental and does not really stray from a sense of despair. The title track is synth heavy and is really trying hard to be strange, but feels quite contrived and lacking any real passion . There is no real change of atmosphere to grab your interest. ‘Shields’ is a mellow affair and possibly the most effective cut on show here. The spooky feel returns with ‘Turn Up the Volume’ but the composition gets swallowed up in its own monotony. The instrumental track ‘Vector’ could be a Vangelis out-take from ‘Blade Runner’. As the final track ‘We Leave/We Forget’ drags to a close my overall conclusion that ‘Black Matter’ lacks a certain authenticity and vibrancy that leaves a sense of sadness. Perhaps that is how it should be?

Track Listing:-

1 Asleep In the Water
2 Black Matter
3 Shields
4 Turn Up the Volumes
5 Vector
6 We Leave / We Forget

Band Links:-

http://thusowls.com/
https://twitter.com/ThusOwls
https://www.facebook.com/ThusOwls
https://www.youtube.com/user/thusowls
https://plus.google.com/118337902060345247660
https://www.instagram.com/thusowls/

Label Links:-

https://twitter.com/secretcityrcrds
https://www.facebook.com/secretcityrecords
http://www.secretcityrecords.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/secretcityrecords
https://plus.google.com/112353041111738178359

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