reviews for horizon grid
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connexion bizarre (oct13.05)
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radium webzine (dec.05)
- virus
magazine (dec02.05)
- igloo
magazine (nov01.05)
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re:automation (aug16.05)
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funprox (aug14.05)
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industrial.org (aug10.05)
- vital
weekly (oct.05)
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side-line (nov16.05)
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premonition (dec25.05) [ english translation ]
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premonition (dec25.05) [ original french ]
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metica.se (jul07.05) [ swedish ]
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medien konverter (dec15.05) [ german ]
connexion
bizarre (october 13, 2005)
Flatline Skyline's "Horizon Grid" is an
amazing piece of music and a great show of talent, even more
so if one considers it is their debut album. Coming from a
noise label, this was a very unexpected but welcome surprise:
a collection of talented intimate and melancholic experimental
music with a definite pop feeling. Unusual is an adequate
adjective for the contents of this album, the songs of which
consist of a seamless and highly cinematic creative blend
of many disparate musical influences and styles, from noise
and ambient to idm and pop into what can be best described
as "experimental pop songs".
Flatline Skyline's intelligent compositions clearly show the
artists' talent and skill in composing complex and engaging
music, with great variety between and in the tracks themselves.
The talented and clear vocals (only once are they distorted
to great extent), distant and emotional at the same time,
complement what is already great music capable of standing
on its own, adding further depth and enriching the music with
feeling when delivering what are excellent lyrics.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, "Horizon Grid" flows and evolves
very naturally from beginning to end, the track placement
being close to perfect. It is definitely best experienced
as a whole, even though all tracks are great pieces on their
own and a few eventually stand out. "Bulletproof Bones" and
the fantastic "Riots in the Bloodstream" come to mind as two
outstanding tracks in this album, along with "Math Grenades"
and "We Depart / Link Arms", while the improvisational "Blue
Jaunte" functions as a great conclusion piece. Overall, "Horizon
Grid" is a stunning debut from a very talented duo. An innovative
album that demands careful and attentive listening and should
definitely be checked out by anyone with an interest in good
music.
-- M. [9/10]
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radium
webzine (december 2005 - by vtl)
The debut album of Flatline Skyline is definitely one of the biggest surprises this year, for two reasons: 1) The label releasing it is Mechanoise Labs, better known for much noisier output. 2) I can honestly say I like it a lot. This is not to say I generally have something against Mechanoise's releases, on the contrary, Horizon Grid just happens to represent a style quite far removed from what is usually found in the label's catalog, or on my record shelves for that matter.
Flatline Skyline, being a project consisting of two young Americans, is best characterised as an unlikely crossbreed of Autechre and Covenant. Rhythms composed of sharp digital noises and clanks infused with minimal drones provide a cold, but quite beautiful backdrop for emotionally charged vocals that range from the calm, softspoken voice on Bulletproof Bones to the over-the-top falsetto on the album's title song. Despite the slight naiveté of the lyrics, their tone is always honest, although sometimes in danger of turning into overemotional pomp. As a whole, the vocal tracks are probably what will be the greatest divider of opinions on Horizon Grid. If one can't stand their vaguely emoish style, then it will probably be impossible to concentrate just on the skilfully constructed backgrounds. On the other hand, as good as they are, the compositions would probably not work as well as with the attention demanding vocals. For example, the clever screeching noises of Three Winter Nights would simply lack the punch they have as underliners of the sung parts, and We Depart/Link Arms with its spastic rhythms would not be as fluid as a pure instrumental.
The general feel of the album is very poplike, even though the choice of instruments and sounds leans heavily into IDM and glitch. The captivating minimal buzzes, whines and pops are ever present, even though the tracks range in style and tempo from the balladlike ambient of 98 Tiny Reflections through the trip hoppy Math Grenades to the distorted thumping of Riots in the Bloodstream. Against all expectations, this stylistical hodgepodge never gets out of hand, and every last detail of every track is executed with meticulous precision and excellent sense of finesse.
Releasing Horizon Grid is a very daring move from Mechanoise Labs, but also one that is definitely worth making. Wholly another thing is will the album find a receptive audience among the regular Mechanoise shoppers. I hope it will, because Flatline Skyline is definitely one of this year's most original newcomers. The best way to get to know if the band's synthpop-IDM fusion appeals is to try, and missing it altogether would be a much greater loss. Only non-compromising industrial puritans need not apply.
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virus
magazine (december 02, 2005 - by michael casano)
"Horizon Grid" is the impressive debut CD from Flatline Skyline, a collection of electronic music marked by precision and passion.
Flatline Skyline is one of those bands impossible to describe, and even more difficult to compare, which is a rare quality these days. For one, the band’s music combines controlled noise and micro-beats, with an IDM approach. There is also careful attention paid to the lyrics and melody, which brings the whole album together into a cohesive design that can best be described as mathematically inspired music. The vocal performance is somewhere in the realm of spoken word poetry and singing, so the lyrics are not buried under sound. With nearly 55 minutes of music, this is a CD that requires multiple playbacks, as I listened to this album three times before even attempting a review. I would like to add that Mechanoise Labs deserves a lot of credit for releasing this CD, as Flatline Skyline will undoubtedly be a band to watch on the electronic music horizon.
[9/10]
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igloo
magazine (november 01, 2005 - by mark teppo)
A collaboration between Robert Andrew
Scott and Jacen Kemp, Flatline Skyline is a strange little
flower growing in the noisy wasteland of Mechanoise Labs'
discography. Known for more sonically challenging releases
(noise, dark beat and experimental ambient), Mechanoise Labs
has scraped back the surface layer of static to allow a little
electro-pop record to bloom. Flatline Skyline is built upon
a foundation of digital noises and synth-pop melodies, but
the strange uniqueness of this release is the presence of
Kemp's vocals.
Sounding like a lab-grown child of Marc Almond and David J,
Kemp's laconic delivery is straight out of the opium darkness
of the late Romantic poets, a hazy intonation that is filled
with disembodied separation, lending a cold gravitas to the
music. The melancholia of Horizon Grid is darkened by the
preternatural ruin of a broke-down civilization that hisses
and crackles in the background. "Flatline Skyline" warps with
static and machine noise while the drum loops creak beneath
the slow sink of Kemp's vocals. "It's just another scar on
the atmosphere," he sings, relating the broken pieces of the
relationship to the noisy detritus of modern machine living.
Massive drums break through the bleak gothic atmosphere of
"Riots in the Bloodstream," an aural assault that brings with
it the shriek of metallic birds while Kemp intones his funereal
lament. "Three Winter Months" grows from a sea of static,
rising up on columns of glittering tones, and Kemp sighs with
the secrets suspended in the fluids of modern machine age
living: "We are your destiny/Your mirror-world machinery/We
are not real, we are what you feel."
"Bulletproof Bones" chirps and shimmers with molecular life,
the echo of metal plates being rung and the precise percussion
of a drum machine while Scott croons (the single time he takes
the lead on vocals) about the demise of the organic body:
"Pipework metal plastic foam, shatter all things made of bone."
"Tension," the only instrumental track on the record, vibrates
with sanitarium-style menance, like a group of escaped prisoners
banging on pipes and working satanic forges deep beneath the
surface of the asylum.
Horizon Grid is Romantic mood poetry for the children of the
Machine Age, caustic and razored heartbreak for the boys and
girls with static in their eyes. It's a departure for Mechanoise
Labs and succeeds wildly because it holds nothing back: Scott
and Kemp have pulled back the metal casements from their hearts
and are letting us see how all the pumps and valves work.
Very nice.
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re:automation
(august 16, 2005 - by stanley robinson)
Flatline Skyline is the collaborative
endeavor of R. Andrew Scott and Jacen Kemp, both of which
have been active in a variety of projects both together and
separately in the past. Their debut album on the flourishing
Mechanoise Labs label is built upon a framework of emotional
vocals and dark technoid sounds.
"Horizon Grid" creates a nice balance of melancholic IDM that
sparkles with melody and sadness but at the same time comes
off with a somber pop feel, like on the tracks "We Depart/Link
Arms" and "Math Grenades." Other tracks like the beautiful
and darkly lit "98 Tiny Reflections Of You" emote a depressive
and haunting tone which builds into a claustrophobic and urgent
end, created with a keen talent for complex string arrangements
and droning synthesizers.
The vocals of Jacen Kemp are definitely the main attraction
on "Horizon Grid." Mr. Kemp's fantastic vocals fall somewhere
between Goth and EMO, but lack the adolescent rage associated
with both. "Horizon Grid" is more about sadness and sarcastic
despondence than of anger and hate.
I was quite stunned to hear such a release on Mechanoise Labs,
who have been mostly known for releasing harder material in
the past. Not that I'm complaining, it's definitely nice to
see them branching out and releasing such quality music in
a variety of styles and moods. "Horizon Grid" is not to be
passed up, this is truly a contender for album of the year.
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funprox
(august 14, 2005 - by HD)
Flatline Skyline’s ‘Horizon Grid’ is the
result of a collaboration between R. A Scott and Jacen Kemp.
This debut release is a quite interesting blend of abstract
electronic noise and accessible industrial pop like Nine Inch
Nails or even Einstuerzende Neubauten. The beat is strongly
present, sometimes resulting in a trip-hop kind of groove,
sometimes creating a harsher technoid atmosphere.
A really nice track, akin to early Massive Attack, is ‘Bulletproof
bones’ which has as most tracks, clear and sombre vocals,
as if the singer is tired or drugged. A throbbing beat determines
the course of the song, with underlayers of dark synthesizers
and structured noises.
‘We depart/ link arms’ is a highly energetic, yet melancholic
song you’d like to sing along to. The song’s structure and
lyrics really invite the listener to it: ‘Dark, sweet sweet,
bittersweet hello, it’s a shower of sound then to bed we go.’
Every track has a soul of it’s own, a distinctive structure
which makes Flatline Skyline’s album definitely worth a try.
‘Bittersweet’ is a good description of ‘Horizon grid’, an
album that’s definitely of quality, with enough variation
and soul to keep it in your record-player for a while.
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industrial.org
(august 10, 2005 - by moron)
This is a rather strange one to be dropped
by French industrial label Mechanoise Labs. While there has
been a lot of variety over the years emanating from their
camp this collection of blue and melodic electro-pop ditties
I would have thought about as likely to bear the label's name
as a collection of GOA trance tracks. I can't argue with the
physical object sitting in my hands though so onwards and
upwards.
Flatline Skyline build up their music around two main anchors:
clean, emotive vocals and cinematic, dimly lit and at times
cinematic IDM tinged synth pop. When I say synth pop you should
think of something akin to Mago doing old Soft Cell covers,
a little sweet but still quite melancholic. There is complexity
here too, Phylr comes to mind for example when the celluloid
flicker is particularly noticeable and each track seems to
be extremely tightly crafted, perfectionist yet accomodating,
economic but not cheap.
The vocals are very much in the forefront and act as workhorse
for both the melody and lyrical content of the tracks. The
vocalist sounds about half way between Marc Almond (sorry
for the ancient reference, best I could come up with on short
notice) and whathisface from Tool. The lilt in the voice is
rather pronounced and adds a feminine, goth like quality which
you will either adore or hate. J. Kemp's approach here (he
handles the majority of the vocal duties) is to lyricise in
a detached, delicate manner which reads a bit like a despondent
youth staring at the sunset from a high balcony wondering
whether they would scream as they fell if they stepped over
the railing. You could even go as far to call this "synth
emo" I suppose except for the fact that there is zero overt
anger on this release, just an aloof sort of sadness.
I'm not so much of a dick to make the suggestion that what
is here is not both adeptly executed and quite beautiful in
its own way because it is and I am finding that it is growing
on me through repeated listens which is a positive sign. For
what it aims to do, this release is extremely successful and
many aspects of it are for sure enticing - melodic hooks subtle
enough to snag deep without triggering your pain receptors,
structure at times breathtaking in its taught craftmanship
and a consistency of vision that I definitely can appreciate.
Where I run into difficulties is mostly a personal thing (or
flaw depending on your viewpoint) - effeminate male vocals
tend to irritate me. What exasperates this is that J. Kemp
never rises above the level of mild detachment in his delivery
and while not downright snide, it does come off as needlessly
aloof, like he is holding someone else's baby while they get
a fresh diaper and rolling his eyes the entire time. Even
when the sounds underneath rise up in emotional revolt as
on "Riots In The Bloodstream" the frontman is still off smoking
a clove cigarette in the green room. Just once I wish that
the manicured mask of control would slip off to reveal some
deeper emotion or at the very least, vulnerability.
How "Horizon Grid" fits into your musical landscape will really
depend on what you seek. If this was an instrumental release
I would be unabashedly positive I expect and even in its current
form I definitely respect the results despite being a little
queasy about the vocal delivery. If you dabble in synth pop
and Gothic realms with regularity then you should have no
qualms about diving into this blue, serene pool (this is your
new favourite album) but if you have been grinding your teeth
on harder grains you might want to acclimatize yourself first
lest you die from insulin shock upon initial listening (Seda
E Marg this ain't).
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vital
weekly (issue n°495 - by FdW)
Don't think I ever heard of Flatline Skyline
before, but it's a band of R. Andrew Scott and Jacen Kemp.
They play electronics and sing-a-long to those and 'Horizon
Grid' is their debut. Crossing the boundaries of gothic like
IDM, and IDM-like gothic, they are at times quite poppy, but
somehow they won't make it to the charts with this. Overall,
the atmosphere is a bit too dark and the songs are a bit grey.
Occasional noise elements is another thing that will put the
hit-makers off. However, me think this is quite a nice work.
Kemp's singing reminded me at times of Marc Almond, but it's
less soulful. That's perhaps my main objection against this
CD: it all sounds to similar, there is no standout track,
no real up-tempo one (or real down-tempo), a heavy guitar
solo, god knows what else. For maybe eight or so tracks it's
very good, but then the desire of change becomes urgent. Still,
I think quite positive about it, would rate this with seven
out of ten (if I would do such things).
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side-line
(november 16, 2005 - by cédric)
FS is an American duo, which seems to
explore the experimental side of pop music. It’s a quite unusual
experiment, but it’s original. FS built up complex rhythm
patterns they merge with an electronic ambient background.
The vocalist sings in a kind of whispering half sung half
spoken way, which makes it all a bit spooky. This is minimal,
but pleasant pop music!
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premonition
(december 25, 2005 - by bertrand hamonou)
Flatline Skyline's music is born out of
a contrast so apparent that it makes it magnificent. On one
side, the clear and sometimes fragile vocals of Robert Andrew
Scott (Bulletproof Bones) and Jacen Kemp, two Americans which
met in Virginia during a course on science-fiction literature.
On the other, a blackened minimalism draped in echos and a
forceful blow, between microsounds and high-frequency discharges.
But that's the thing, one should have thought of it and dared
to put the human back in the center of the machine, dared
to inject spontaneity into this music which is ordinarily
exclusively instrumental and robotic. "Horizon Grid" becomes
so dense that one no longer understands if it's enhancing
the listener's emotions or if it's feeding off of them to
carry him or her a little bit further. Everything here seems
so fragile and so rigid at once, as proven by Blue Jaunt,
the first improvised track recorded by the duo, and whose
lyrics have already been forgotten. One might think of Endraum
during 98 Tiny Reflections of You, or imagine recognizing
the vocals of Darrin Huss on Flatline Skyline, but reference
points quickly vanish. More than a perfect symbiosis between
man and the machines, this monumental disc proves that imperfections
and the soul of the former are critical for the latter's survival.
A must of great melancholy and of an even purer beauty.
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premonition
(december 25, 2005 - by bertrand hamonou)
La musique de Flatline Skyline est née d'un contraste tellement évident qu'elle en est magnifique. D'un côté, les voix claires et parfois fragiles de Robert Andrew Scott (Bulletproof Bones) et Jacen Kemp, deux Américains qui se sont rencontrés en Virginie dans un cours sur la littérature de science-fiction. De l'autre, un minimalisme traité au noir absolu, drapé dans et des échos et un souffle démultiplié, entre microsons et décharges de hautes fréquences. Seulement voilà, il fallait y penser et oser remettre l'humain au centre de la machine, oser insuffler la spontanéité à cette musique d'ordinaire exclusivement instrumentale et robotique. "Horizon Grid" en devient alors tellement dense que l'on ne comprend plus bien s'il décuple les émotions de l'auditeur ou bien s'il s'en nourrit avidement pour l'entraîner encore un peu plus loin. Tout ici semble si fragile et si rigide à la fois, comme le prouve Blue Jaunt, le premier titre improvisé jamais enregistré par le duo, et dont les paroles ont déjà été oubliées. On croit penser à Endraum sur 98 Tiny Reflections of You, on imagine reconnaître le chant de Darrin Huss sur le titre Flatline Skyline, mais les repères s'évanouissent rapidement. Plus qu'une symbiose parfaite entre l'homme et les machines, ce disque monumental prouve que les imperfections et l'âme du premier sont indispensables à la survie des secondes. Un must d'une grande mélancolie et d'une beauté encore plus pure.
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metica.se
(july 07, 2005 - by inga karlsson)
En myggsvärm? Ett ekande piano. Revolver?
Skjutljud! Någon torkar golvet med en trasa. Trasan är vass
och golvet ojämnt. Sedan kommer traktorerna och leran stänker.
Bonden leker med blixtlåset i sin gylf. Under påverkan av
Sobril ® lär sig någon spela ett stränginstrument på en dimmig
åker.
Sällan har jag blivit så rädd för ett narkolepsianfall som
dagen då jag lyssnade på denna ljudsörja (jag trodde att mitt
pannben skulle lossna). Men inne i det experimentella flätverket
av electro-ambient-noise-triphop där innefolket svassar runt
i senaste skriket från topp till tå är det här säkert jävligt
trendigt.
Nu är jag hemma med en ytterst hypnotiserande talsång innehållande
tajt virade texter. Soundet är bitvis skönt med sparsamma
ackordbyten. Jag håller ut som kissnödig i hopp om överraskande
moment. Men tyvärr. Bara ljudsörja. Med elfte låten tillända
kan det konstateras att det här duger inte något, varken i
hissar eller att peta näsan till. Möjligtvis som bakgrundsmusik
på en hallucinationsfylld resa till planeten Pluto.
Jag brukar välkomna all typ av musikalisk utveckling inom
trance, elctro, ebm och ambient, men för fan, det här är knöligt.
Det har knölar överallt och jag vill inte bli smittad av ett
laborerande i konstens namn.
Så med ena foten inne i filmjölkspaketet och andra i en mogen
bädd av plommon (nu vill jag också vara speciell) har jag
funnit en liten existerande gnista av någonting värdefullt.
Texterna. Texterna som försöker förmedla intressanta bilder.
Därför läste jag texterna utan ljudsörjan och blev ånyo upplyft
i mungiporna.
Till slut. Jag anser verkligen att de produktiva musikerna
skall satsa på en fet diktsamling istället. Jag tyckte mig
njuta några gånger av mjukmedelsdoftande, långsamma melodier
men så anlände den experimentella monotonin och traktorerna.
Kanske är det här något för er som gillar Einstürzende Neubauten
eller modernare sega mixgenrer med noise-electro i.
Låttips: 'Pinkslip Servitor | Same Servitor' utan ljud av
bålgetingar och bilar som åker på blöt autostrada.
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medien
konverter (dec15, 2005)
Das war schon eine recht interessante Sache, als mich das schlicht in schwarz gehaltene Cover von Flatline Skyline anschaute und sich mir eine ebenso dunkle CD zeigte. Sofort, zog das meine Aufmerksamkeit auf sich und ich speiste meinen Player mit Horizon Grid, dem Debut des Duos, Robert Andrew Scott und Jacen Kemp, die beide schon lange gemeinsame Projekte betreiben und ihren ersten Track noch unter dem Namen "Mutemath" veröffentlicht haben.
Der Sound ihres Debut Horizon Grid fokussiert auf die Richtungen Experimental, Noise und Ambient, kombiniert mit weichen Synth-Pop Melodien und romantisch-melancholischen Klängen. Bereits der Opener, Three Winter Months, wartet mit wiederholenden hellen Tönen und treibender Melodie auf, ähnlich wie das Instrumental, dass sich daran anknüpft. Deadline Shoreline, der vierte Titel, bietet zur Abwechslung einmal dunkle Bässe und würdigt die überaus ausgeglichenen und sanften Vocals, bevor die sich-fallen-lassen Atmosphäre vom experimentelen sechsten Track abgelöst wird. Für eine Weile herrscht das Wechselspiel zwischen dem harmonischen Ambient und dem kühlen Breakbeat, Noise, der seinen Höhepunkt mit Riot In The Bloodstream findet, ohne den Faden zu verlieren.
Horizon Grid empfiehlt sich ganz sicher für die Hörer der Ambient/Noise Richtung und ich denke, Flatline Skyline haben sich mit ihrem Debut einen soliden Grundstein für zukünftige Arbeiten und Projekte in diesem Rahmen legen können. Vielleicht sagt das Cover ja schon eine Menge aus: weniger ist mehr und muss deshalb nicht gleich billig sein/klingen.
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