Schattenspieler

Illustrators: Erik K. Skodvin; Marcus Fjellström.
Schattenspieler is a moody, hissing, and humming electronic album that makes the room feel ten degrees colder just by being on. Clearly influenced by composers like György Ligeti and Angelo Badalamenti as well as electronic artists like Thomas Köner and Lull, the disc's 11 tracks conjure creepy, soundtrack-ish moods while maintaining a generally low energy level. At times, like on "Antichrist Architecture Management," the repetitive synth lines get into a techno realm, but when no drums ever come in, catharsis is off the menu. Other tracks, like "Tremolous," use a combination of stringed instruments, static crackle, and atmospheric sound effects in the corners of the stereo field to create mental images of being in a dank, dripping basement, waiting for a masked killer to arrive. "Monolith and Bunker" builds from near silence to a frightening crescendo, then repeats the trick before Bernard Herrmann-esque strings close the piece out. This is decidedly uneasy listening, but fans of dark ambient music and horror movie soundtracks, not to mention certain precincts of the classical avant-garde, will find it extremely compelling. ~ Phil Freeman