Larvae
Fashion Victim
A scant few months since the
brilliant “Monster Music” EP on Ad Noiseam and Larvae have returned with their debut
album, “Fashion Victim”. I use the
collective term since, even though Larvae is mainly the work of Matthew Jeanes,
added assistance on the album has come from the likes of circuit-bender J. Smiley, Genetic of the Life Form Project and Native Instruments/Download man, Omar Torres. With a few impressive EPs already under
their belt and the backing of a major industrial label, there was no reason for
this album to disappoint…and it doesn’t.
Stylistically, there is a
marked difference to the cheese-scented Godzilla tribute tracks of “Monster
Music”, moving towards harder, aggressive and altogether more serious
compositions. The distorted drill beats
and hip-hop groove of opening track Refuse make this explicitly clear,
while also hinting at the more reflective moments to come with its soft
passages of melodic ambience. Much in
the same way that label mates Cdatakill
and Detritus have embedded a more
musical and cinematic approach within their heavy rhythms, so too do Larvae
move away from simple, base motivation to compositions that emote as well as
excite.
Rather than being a mere
copycat of what has gone before, though, or slotting itself neatly into any
pre-occupied pigeonhole, “Fashion Victim” carves its own little niche from a
wealth of influences. From the dub bass
of Kelvin and the acid squelches of I Owe You to the ethnic
flavours of Fashion Victim and jazz moods of Philistine, Larvae
display a musical heritage that surpasses the usual stock-in-trade genre
markers and, in turn, provide a rich, multifaceted listening experience that
will appeal as much to fans of Pole as to fans of Panacea. Tracks such as Tonystark mange to
find that uncommon middle ground between micro-sound and club filling breaks ‘n’
bass, allowing it to be enjoyed on any number of levels.
With this release we see
another step towards a glorious musical renaissance within the industrial genre
and a further step away from the tired monotony and dark aesthetics of rhythmic
noise. Larvae display a keen ear for
the bizarre, while keeping a firm eye on pop culture and modern trends;
producing music that is as experimental as it is commercial, they have set a
tough challenge for any acts that may follow – it would be difficult to name
any other album that is as simultaneously upbeat and intricate as “Fashion
Victim”. A highly recommended album, it
continues the fine tradition that Ad Noiseam have established this year.
Gavin Lees
12.10.2k3