M: Darkmotif Dancehall

Since 2000, New Zealand-based experimental guitarist Roy Montgomery has been far less prolific than he was in the '90s, having dedicated far more of his time to non-musical pursuits such as his career as a professor at Lincoln University. Aside from soundtrack work and limited split LPs with Grouper and the Dead C's Bruce Russell, R M H Q: Headquarters is Montgomery's first major solo work since 2000's The Allegory of Hearing and its companion album, 2001's Silver Wheel of Prayer. The project is a sprawling four-disc behemoth, with each album inhabiting a particular mindset and having a distinct theme. M: Darkmotif Dancehall is easily the noisiest and most volatile of the four, showcasing Montgomery's scorching guitar wizardry over stiff, minimalist drum machine rhythms. Like fellow space rock veteran Flying Saucer Attack, Montgomery keeps things stubbornly lo-fi and unpolished, covering his drum machine with a cheap layer of reverb and piling on several layers of guitar tracks that often feel loose and ready to unravel. Tracks like "10538 Overdrive" and "Dazed Pig Dreamhome Slide" feel as if they're slowly heading down a spiral of depression, sounding fuller and bleaker as they progress. Only "Slow Heroes" feels like it's looking upward, even if it still seems stuck inside during a rainy day. ~ Paul Simpson