Everywhering 6

A LIFE IS EVERYWHERE

Review in TARUMATU

Cindytalk is led by Gordon Sharp, a Scottish band that have been making music for nearly 30 years. Originally a post-punk band, it wasn’t until 2009’s ‘The Crackle of My Soul’ that Cindytalk radically transformed the sound of their music. Sharp once coined his music “Ambi-dustrial”, which is an apt description of Cindytalk’s music.

‘A Life Is Everywhere’ is their new album, and its light years away from the sound of their debut album ‘Camouflage Heart’. ‘Time to fall’ opens the album with crystalline chiming bells, serrated shards of noise angle their way in and soon grabs all the attention. Its a tense and feral introduction, the equally thrilling ‘My Drift is a Ghost’ is dominated by a shimmering meteor shower onslaught of digital noise. By now you begin to understand the alien atmospheres and elemental themes that define this album, ‘To A Dying Star’ penetrates your ears with a bubbling, almost fluid downpour of metallic sounds. It slowly builds momentum until it seems to want to collapse in on itself, but instead disperses until it becomes formless.

‘Interruptum’ starts with more of a menacing shape, repeated drones channelling downwards are interspersed with silence. Flecks of metallic chimes, electronic noises and shuddering sounds are held together at regular intervals by a pounding drum. It’s fraught and mysterious, creating a strange atmosphere where presences seems to want to communicate with you but you are not certain of its motives. Its beautifully constructed, full of drama and tension, and certainly the most thought-provoking track on the album. ‘Interruptum’ is the calm before the battle-scarred storm that is ‘As If We Had Once Been’, a disturbing barrage of dubby industrial noise. ‘On A Pure Plain’ ends the album and is harsher still, a blistering clash of distorted noise which seems to be pummelling itself into submission. Its cloaked in a mournful melody which tries to hold the onslaught, but the shrill returns and seems to be taking on the melody as well as itself. Its a draining experience, but just like ‘To A Dying Star’ it eventually subsumes and scatters into the world it inhabits.

‘A Life Is Everywhere’ is a beautiful and often indescribable album, the brittle musical terrain it maintains for long periods should never have the right to sound as wonderful as it does. Amongst the quieter moments, the music is often uncaring and unknowable and encourages you to go no further. It is horror at its finest, you want it to stop but it has a thoughtful sense of balance which keeps you intrigued, and these contradictions are a reminder of elemental forces more powerful than us.

Photo by Spaewaif