tirsdag den 14. november 2017

Skag Arcade & meanwhile.in.texas - 

Twentynine Palms



There has been a lot of (talk and posts) on the web about this mysterious act called Skag Arcade. I haven´t seen/read anything about meanwhile.in.texas (yet). But they have nonetheless made this 1-hour long album together. So who are these 2 mysterious acts?.

Skag Arcade has been in existence since 2015 and has made several physical cassette releases via Craneal Fracture, Orb Tabes and this latest from Luce Sia. Skag Arcade contains one member who is Paolo Colavita, who is somehow connected to the Insect Worship Collective. A collective of various acts combined into one act, includes members from Blacksheet Servitude, Stone Wired, Bonechurch and more. Whatever Skag Arcade means is up to the listeners, I think it works like a pseudonym for the artist. 

Meanwhile.in.texas have also been around since 2015. And have also made several cassette releases via Craneal Fracture and Orb tapes. I think both the acts originate from the southern parts of Europe (Italy, Spain).  And share a similar interest in industrial drones and harsh atmospheres. Meanwhile.in.texas is Angelo Guido (if you should ask). 

The albums start off in the desert, can´t help thinking of a test site for an atom bomb. Sounds of wind blowing in the desert (Or is it wind through pine trees?), heavily distorted noises, metallic and machinelike drones, occasional mysterious radio recordings and Wells reading up from War of the Worlds. As others might call it, a post-apocalyptic start. A mesmerizing 15 minutes moody intro, and well made!. 




The next piece (almost 10 min), works in a similar fashion. Distorted and slightly reverbed rumblings, atmospheric-looped and hypnotic string-like drones and eerie chopped and repetitive tones. As you can read, the mysterious tension is building almost like reading a book. The third track, 22 seconds?... A nice and slithering intermission of sound. Next one, the longest track on the album (maybe the harshest one), kicks off with an even higher distorted drone (which almost sounds like screaming). Gives you that feeling of levitation, this album makes you float a bit higher the further on you get. Filled with lovely and organic industrial multilayered drones and again with those (slightly disturbing and dramatic) post-apocalyptic radio recordings. A sound of your own personal nightmare to enjoy and meditate to! Fifth track drones you in the heaviness of sleep, with crackling and psychedelic elements. Right now, you are probably on mescaline in the most isolated parts in the desert!. In the company of Williams S. Burroughs in the movie Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas?. Not far from it. The last and final 12 minutes track called Road Runner, is not about that cartoon with Wile E. Coyote. If the testing of the atom-bomb is done, completed and over, then this piece works like a conclusion to that. Whatever hypnotic state you might be, this track makes you slowly (in a pleasant way!) wake up from that. An absolutely beautiful way of ending this album, you are gonna have to hear this album from the start to the end to fully understand what I mean. 

Perfectly executed (and VERY completed) dark-ambient/drone album with a serious and cool theme!. Highly recommended!. 



Bandcamp (Skag Arcade):
https://skagarcade.bandcamp.com/

Facebook (Skag Arcade):
https://www.facebook.com/SkagArcade/ 

Bandcamp (meanwhile.in.texas):
https://meanwhileintexas.bandcamp.com/

Facebook (meanwhile.in.texas):
https://www.facebook.com/meanwhileintexasmusic