SOLYST - SPRING - ALBUM REVIEW

Solyst

Spring

LP/DD/CD

Bureau B

Out Aug 13

This is multi-instrumentalist Thomas Klein's fourth album under the Solyst moniker and could well be his most consistent to date. Sparse clattering metallic grooves pave the way for minimalist melodies and dubbed-out beats to converge and create something of an aural landscape halfway between soundtrack and post-club bliss-out.

Not too dissimilar to label-mates Kreidler and Automat, mixed with the most recent works by Jah Wobble and Pye Corner Audio (in atmospherics at least), Spring is a somewhat engaging listen from start to finish. Expansive opener Sheroes is a portentous throbber that conjures up images of a dystopian urban landscape and tribal subversion, while Thief doesn't hold back on the gothic theatrics often found on later Dead Can Dance records. 

Other highlights include the smoky zonked-out Atlas that weaves busy beats into a tapestry of fearsome atmospherics and post-acid breaks that signify something of a departure for the artist and the label and Spiral, a fearful slow-builder that recalls early Gary Numan or John Foxx.

The key to much of Solyst's output is rhythm. Not in the truest sense as a funk, disco or house sound but more of a headphones-on proposition, a verdant imagination and a massive pile of whatever gets you through the night.