Espectrostatic

When Espectrostatic was released, there were already several instrumental acts inspired by John Carpenter, Tangerine Dream, and Goblin making eerie imaginary scores, including Geoff Barrow's Judge Dredd homage Drokk as well as Zombi and its offshoots. However, Alex Cuervo makes an impressive niche for himself within this style with his project's first full-length. He does an admirable job of paying homage to the sound's originators on tracks like "Consulting the Necronauts," where pulsing synth bass is joined by alternately chilly and woozy electronic tones that make for a sleekly menacing whole. "The Haunted Doll Factory"'s title is creepy enough, but its doomy bass and keyboard stabs -- which give new meaning to the term -- make it one of the most unsettling tracks here. Cuervo often takes a more stylized approach to his influences than his contemporaries, focusing more on melody and rhythm instead of atmosphere on the cold-blooded yet strangely poignant "The Killing Touch." Tracks like this one and "Phantom Swarm" nod to the Skeletactical EP and to the earlier EPs Cuervo released under his own name, which bridged his roots in punk bands such as the Hex Dispensers with evocative electronics. His willingness to be playful and incorporate different elements into this style results in standouts such as the suspenseful, exotic "Lost in the Catacombs" and "Searching the Museum," which recalls Angelo Badalamenti's iconic Twin Peaks soundtrack and adds a hint of noir to the proceedings. At its best, Espectrostatic sounds like the theme songs to a festival's worth of movies that need to be made, whether they're romances ("Doomed Lovers in a Gathering Storm"), sci-fi ("The Wrong Side of the Portal"), or pure, unadulterated horror ("The Procession," "It's Raining Knives [Love Is Doomed]"). With "Please Be Careful as You Exit," which pits a keyboard motif reminiscent of "Tubular Bells" against pummeling drums, Cuervo even provides fitting closing credits for this ambitious and entertaining debut. Espectrostatic shows his explorations of moody electronic music have advanced so far in just two years that fans of this kind of music should anticipate his next move eagerly. ~ Heather Phares