Review
Locrian
The Crystal World

Hauntingly beautiful, The Crystal World is precisely that; and I seriously cannot believe that this almost slipped beyond my notice because Locrian has just simply blown me away with this record of harrowing soundscapes and buried melodies that coax your subconscious into a dream like state. I sincerely mean it; this record is one of those have to hear records regardless of whether or not you are into noise, power electronics, ambient music, or any of the other hard to grasp genres (for pop music folks) which pass people by in a whisper.

Standing somewhere near the realm of Jodis and at times pushing near to the frightening boundary of Khanate, Locrian carves their own musical territory on The Crystal World with some mind blowing results; it is still difficult to put into words the effect of this record on my own psyche at this point because I feel so utterly compelled to listen to this record and eat with this record and sleep with this record and basically just leave it on everywhere I am all the time. The drones seem to simply wash over me with a strange mesmerizing pull that somehow feels faintly familiar while sounding completely alien at the same time, and in certain ways the ominous and uneasy feelings that come with a couple of the tracks even are welcome because not one part of the record feels out of place or lackluster. Check out “At Night’s End” for proof of the otherworldly quality of the record, and get lost in the vocal intoning and the soaring guitars that rise above the droning sounds; the bass and drums somehow keep this piece from taking off and leaving all convention behind while subtly moving the song along on a weird journey through the Locrian sonic territory.

I am not entirely sure that anything on The Crystal World could possibly prepare anyone for the unsettling screams and wails that introduce “Obsidian Facades”, but beneath that rough exterior shell is a seething morass of thick drones and almost completely hidden melodies that are tantalizing evasive and eventually give way to a gentle conclusion; quite possibly, “Obsidian Facades” contains some of my favorite moments on The Crystal World. Maybe the arresting work that is “Elevations And Depths” that gives rise to a sense of triumph but at great cost can challenge any of the other songs here for the title of best song on the album, but what really matters is the swirling sounds, acoustic guitars, and screams create the swelling emotional pull of the piece that closes the record just about perfectly in every way imaginable.

A Great album for sure, The Crystal World is one of those records that people will be slow to catch on but will talk about incessantly (whether you want to hear it or not) in the coming years; and the amount of people will be small, but will grow steadily as they brush up against the affecting compositions that make The Crystal World. Even at this point, I am finding Locrian three albums (and a plethora of splits and EPs) into their existence and feel in some ways, late to the game; so, get in now while the getting’s good, and join all of us weirdoes in enjoying a great album.