Bleaklow

FREE DELIVERY on all UK orders OVER £50 *excludes music downloads or gift vouchers

DISCOGRAPHY for
THE STRANGER

EXACT MATCHES FOR: THE STRANGER

THE STRANGER
Bleaklow
CD

MORE ITEMS RELATED TO: THE STRANGER

V/VM
There Was A Fish In The Percolator
LP
VVM
The Sound Of Belgian New Beat
12"
VVM
Sabam : Belgian New Beat - The Acid Sound of '89
CD
VVM
The Sound Of Belgian New Beat : Best Orgasm
12"
V/VM
Relax - Truth and Lies
7"
V/VM
Relax - Part X
12"
V/VM
Relax - Part A
12"
V/VM
Relax (The Full Story)
CD
VVM
Dimitri Shostakovich "The Missing Symphony"
CD
V/VM
Helpaphextwin 4.0
CD
V/VM
Sometimes, Good Things Happen - Sepia Edition
CD
V/VM
Butchered Classics For Todays Dancefloor
7"
V/VM
Hate You
LP
V/VM
Hate You
CD
V/VM
Stuffing US Version
7"
V/VM
Turkey US Version
7"
V/VM
Machine Component 02
7"
V/VM
Machine Component 03
7"
V/VM
Machine Component 04
7"
V/VM
Turkey
7"

Example notification

ITEM DETAILS FOR:
THE STRANGER - Bleaklow

THE STRANGER - Bleaklow
VVM
CD // £7.99
DARK AMBIENT / DRONE / METAL
Released: May 2008
Catalogue Number: VVMTCD26

Aside from all the shenanigans and sonic mayhem V/VM have so brilliantly provided over the last 10 years, James Kirby has also intermittently released quite exceptionally dense music under his Caretaker and The Stranger monikers. This new album, however, qualifies as his most absorbing and fully realised yet - an 11 track arrangement of unbelievably layered drones, sound washes and percussive structures that will leave you wondering just what else might be lurking in V/VM's no-doubt substantial archives. The album opens with the suitably bleak "Something To Do With Death" - a haunting assembly of distorted drones and sonic detritus that sounds like a cross between Ben Frost, Fennesz and Hecker - and makes for an astonishing opening. "Exposure" is next and delivers what must surely count as one of the most brilliantly approachable pieces in the V/VM cannon, displaying a spacious alignment of padded percussion and brushed tonal slivers that you could almost imagine Martin Gore having produced on one of his more satisfyingly creative periods writing daring b-sides for Depeche Mode. "Solemn Dedication" also features a prominent percussive element, though this time the carefully crafted bombast recalls vintage John Carpenter, with those slightly plasticated drum sounds beautifully aligned and distorted to create an almost nihilistic mental image - and in this case one that's surrounded by tempered noise that lends proceedings a brilliantly freakish glow. The title track, meanwhile, will leave you gasping for breath with its eerie, out of tune strings and lush undulating drones, creating a kind of narcotic cacophony that doesn't really sound like anyone that comes to mind, except perhaps for some kind of fantasy collaboration between Selected Ambient Works Volume 2 era Aphex Twin reworked by Tim Hecker. "Bleaklow" is a deep and incredibly satisfying album - perhaps more so than any other releases on this frankly mental label - and once your surprise starts to subside you're left with the unerring impression that James Kirby is one of the most interesting and diverse producers working on the scene today. Highly Recommended.