Bandcamp Feature/Friday crossover is here
This week including music from @oldworldirredenta.bsky.social, @itsdrlittle.bsky.social,
Dark Ambient, as esoteric as that moniker appears at first sight, the internet and its many neurodivergent weirdos (Hi it me) made sure this genre did not stay in the more obscure corners of leftfield music. And not one to gatekeep cool music but you can’t deny that with that came a great deal of homogeneity in the genre. Which is why it’s so nice to come across work in this genre that makes your ears perk up. And by listening to Mavo’s body of work, hoo boy, did my ears perk up.
What immediately sets it apart for me is the organic texture it possesses. It is haunting and unsettling like Dark Ambient tends to be of course, nothing short of Cyclopean even in how big it sounds, but it’s the usage of what I assume is a combination of field and found recordings that gives it a human warmth. Almost like it’s Dark Ambient through the lens of The Caretaker in how it distorts and warps otherwise familiar and comfortable sounds.
And throughout it all there is often a sense of melody buried underneath that cavernous sound. It’s a desolate and almost painfully slowed down melody but it is there. But rather than serving as a comfortable anchor to pull you out of the miasma these melodies serve the dark vibes perfectly pulling you deeper under.
So, if that sounds like a good time to you, cause it sure does to me, then definitely check this album out or any of Mavo’s other work.
On the first track of his excellent album This is Your Life, Manny Voices intones in his mellifluous voice, “Thank’s for supporting / I promise you that you’re welcome” and you can tell that he means it. The track ends with a conference MC (voiced with charm by Odinaka Ezeokoli) kicking off the “This is Your Life Conference”. (The fact the “conference” is being held at the Jekyll Island Best Western, a place where I have actually attended multiple conferences myself, made me laugh. It also really locked me into the tone of the album.)
This album, like the best conferences, left me feeling uplifted and connected. The lyrics are thoughtful, playful, and largely life-affirming. It’s almost an hour long and includes skits and audio clips that stick with the conference concept and really make the whole piece feel complete and satisfying. There are genuine laughs, too.
This album is full journey. It’s comforting but not afraid to ask difficult questions. It brims with compassions and humor. It also just sounds really nice.
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Their sound on this album is clearly aged, a little calmer even, but in my opinion that only gives them gravitas. With a gripping sense of melancholia, loss and hurt in their songs, they hit something that’s flowing through the zeitgeist. Despite them mourning the loss of things from the past, they do not sound defeated, simply weary but still willing to speak up. It’s a fine line to walk, but they do so gracefully.
This goes for all elements of this very simple style of performance: vocals, bass and guitar. The singing of Joe Adducci is the clearest example; sounding gentle yet worn down as much as intense and forceful. The guitars do a good job of both adding to that mood, as well as contrasting it by laying a foundation for the vocals to sit on, as well as providing a good deal of drive to the songs. Likewise, the recording and production are perfect for this style, making everything feel compact and intimate.
Overall, I really love this album. The mood is wonderfully dark, with just enough light shining through. It’s a sign of the times, both the present and the fondly remembered past. I think the long wait for it was worth it.
These two tracks do the thing that I want soundtracks to do, they evoke something, they feel cinematic without over egging the pudding. It feels nostalgic for the blown out Italian horror soundtrack but feels new and of itself.
The synths evolving into e-bowed guitars transitioning into fuzzed out wah wah, all unpinned by a groovy insistent bassline and tribalistic drums. The guitars fall away to introduce Lara from Never the Bridle with her brilliantly realized vocals chanting. That’s just the first track!
Second track, Fruška Gora comes in, drums pounding and neat organ chords and a beautifully played synth lilts before the guitars come in, kicking chairs over, wah-wah guitar jumping all over another groovy bassline. This is it, this is how you do this.
More please.
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