This is the debut album release on the Mush label from the producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist. Whether you define it as hip-hop or electronica, the concoctions that come out of the Thavius Beck studio float somewhere outside any definitive genre. His random, and at times obscure voice sampling, mind-altering keyboard scales, synth work and the distorted machine produced beat, exemplify a truly unique sound, that will surely render confusion and sound illogical to the untrained ear. This is also true of the album's production. A lot of treble and tinny, metallic sounds rule the overall sound of the album, which tends to make you feel as though you've been trapped in a factory with a whole lot of possessed and violently hyperactive machinery. Tracks such as "To Make Manifest" and "Amongst the Shadows" embody these characteristics mostly, and whilst they may cause imminent cerebral inflammation, they also add an element of rawness and purity to his work. The man himself lays down a few words on "Open Your F*@!ing Eyes" and other tracks such as "June Gloom" and "Demons of Destruction" also feature full vocals, with the latter seeing a bit of 80's style guitar solo work well side by side with Longevity's rhymes. This is no doubt this a dark and intense listen, and one for the headphones too, where Beck's manipulation of stereophonic sound can be best heard and appreciated. - Scene |