This post is the second in the three part Our Sins of Sonic Omission review series highlighting the 2016 releases by Austin label Holodeck Records that we, much to our chagrin, allowed to pass us by. For the context behind the series, go here.
The second in Our Sins Of Omission series highlighting the 2016 electronic releases of Austin label Holodeck Records comes in the form of Preparation For A Spot In The World, the latest mindbending experimental electronic release from Samantha Glass released back in May. The man behind the moniker, American Beau Devereaux doesn’t actually hail from Austin or even Texas but rather from Madison, the capital of Wisconsin where he honed his unique form of atmospheric and thematic musical creations. After releasing a number of albums and mini-albums, split EP’s with other artists, this record is arguably his most fully formed to date. Immersed in a sea of oppositional forces, it reflects Devereaux’s diverse music tastes in the sense that while his initial musical journey was borne of a punk and metal background, he has taken parts of this and transformed himself into an avid explorer and creator of epic like sound collages that speak to a pop sensibility.
On the surface, Preparation For A Spot In the World, unlike its superbly meek title, is on the surface full of huge almost engorging sounds. On that superficial level, its almost bombastic in its sonic assault. But that is only half the story and probably not even that. Achieving diversity and cohesiveness simultaneously within an open to the world atmospheric bent is testament to his wide ranging abilities not only in song structure but also in the creation of mood and theme. There is a sense of the delicate, the tactile here. The use of a vast variety of old school electronic equipment together with appropriate field recordings when wrapped around Devereaux’s echo drenched vocals provide a sense of deep perspective, perspective that has been agonised over, but a perspective that is now clear. And the drone like, dissonant and often bleak yet celestial disposition makes it even more so.
Life for human beings is extremely complex and there is both a deep sense of hope and foreboding ahead in our futures. For some, this record will seem too dark, almost unreachable and those places may overshadow the diametric opposites that abound. However, for others who have already faced the demons unleashed on them by an unforgiving world, those differences will reveal themselves in clear light and expose a dichotomous existence that should be valued and a humility stemming from uncertainty that should be celebrated. Preparation For A Spot In The World is available on all formats here.
Tracklist
1 Preparation One
2 Bending Images In The Centre
3. Council Grove – Location One
4. Hidden Arrangements
5. Removing The Fictional Barrier
6. Council Grove – Location Two
7. Second To Last Preparation
8. Engraved Visions
Engraved Visions
Samantha Glass (USA)
From the album, ‘Preparation For A Spot In The World’, Holodeck Records
Samantha Glass Bandcamp
Audio Stream
Next week: Troller