Review
Remnants
Suspension

Tycho Magnetic Anomalies (2011) Cheryl

Remnants – Suspension cover artwork
Remnants – Suspension — Tycho Magnetic Anomalies, 2011

Brooklyn based drone purveyors Remnants four track cassette Suspension is a curious little release, building on a foundation of fuzzy electronic notes, and deep unnerving tones. Lead track "Ornamentals" is a tad unsettling in it's minimalism. The quiet buzz of white noise sitting just behind dissonant strikes slowly build in sound level, washing over the touches of an almost bell-like sound. It's just the right side of perturbing, a tiny bit ominous and a lot intriguing and leads into "Conical Intersect," a track which begins which the a somewhat brass instrument sounding clamour. Of course this soon changes into a dim, distant memory of the sound it once was. Reaching far into the recesses of both the mind and space.

Other strangeness abounds in this track, birds calling, perhaps the crackle of a fire - it's barely there, the hum of that initial noise still permeating through - a quick sound of an alarm and masses of white noise creep in. That first sound now building into a heightened cacophony, it's electronically dense and terrifically harsh in tone. There's quite a lot to take in on Suspension, somehow everything and nothing happening all at once.

It's a theme carried throughout the tape, the third track being a shorter effort much like the first, as well as being a mite creepy. The repetitive nature of drone is used to great effect in these four tracks, the final being "Entropy Loop." A single sound taken and built upon with distortion and additional elements; Remnants know to how hold the attention whilst doing really quite little. Suspension is solid in it's execution and design, it's fairly hard work in terms of "getting into it" but the rewards are there to be found in it's mind-twisting properties.

7.0 / 10Cheryl • March 26, 2012

Remnants – Suspension cover artwork
Remnants – Suspension — Tycho Magnetic Anomalies, 2011

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