Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Ichtyor Tides - Mortisle Elytrion [Invidation - 2012]

Mortisle Elytrion is the first LP released by Ichtyor Tides, the experimental project of French artist Nikola Akileus. The combination of experimental music and poetry really shouldn't surprise anyone, as it seems everyone is an artist. Maybe they are and maybe I'm just sceptical when I sense pretension. Anyway, that's Mortisle Elytrion in a nutshell.

What is hyperbolically described as "mighty structures of glitches, forged in acidic lakes of drones," definitely falls a bit short. There are glitches and drones galore, don't get me wrong, it's just that they're nothing crazy, let alone mighty. That's not to say, though, that Mortisle Elytrion is a bad album. Would it have worked better as an EP? Probably. The songs on the album all feature glitchy crinkle dancing over lower synth drones. The glitch and drone is broken up a bit by simple crunchy beats on tracks like "PQRSux," "BM," "Suaval," and "Drongle." Most tracks feature French spoken word poetry ("PQRSux" features an interesting rapid fire delivery). I don't speak French, unfortunately, so I cannot speak of the quality of the poetry. The sound is amped up a bit on my favourite two tracks, "Soreilles Guines" and "Exiphannist Plunge." These two songs are a bit noisier and less, I don't know, samey samey as the others. "Exiphannist Plunge" is the beast here, clocking in at over 16 minutes. It feels a bit more grand than the others, and there's a really nice drift off quality to it. It almost reminds me of some Skullflower stuff. There is a hidden track, too. It doesn't have a name, but it's probably the best minute and a half on the album! There are low synth surges and it plays like dark ambient on its way to death industrial. If this is what is to come of Ichtyor Tides, I'm definitely all ears.

Sometimes LPs are a bit too long for the material contained. Songs sound the same and blur together. Mortisle Elytrion falls into this category. It works really well in the background, though. Slap it on, do some yoga, and drift off. I will check out future releases in hopes that the style loosens itself up a bit.

Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

Paul Casey
Latest Reviews

Ichtyor Tides - Mortisle Elytrion
Mortisle Elytrion is the first LP released by Ichtyor Tides, the experimental project of French artist Nikola Akileus. The combination of experimental music ...
211124   The Stalking - The Stalking
211124   Nordvargr - Resignation IV
211124   Carnal Savagery - Graveworms,...
211124   The Red-Light Bandit - The Re...
211124   The Invasion - The Invasion(B...
201124   Neil Ardely - A Symphony For ...
191124   Dan Hicks And His Hot Lick - ...
181124   Advent - Advent(Digital)
181124   Mother Mallards Portable - Ma...
171124   Sherlock Holmes And The Deadl...
Latest Articles

Whore’s Breath - life’s hard-...
The rather controversial named Whore’s Breath is the wall-noise project of  Cincinnati’s David Hilshorst. It started in 2021, and to date, i...
221024   Whore’s Breath - life’s h...
011024   David Kerekes Interview - Int...
030924   Tim Ritter Interview - Shot O...
100724   Radiance Films Interview - Le...
300524   Interview With Renaldo M/ Bri...
140524   The Wall Noise Of Hana Haruna...
280324   The Music of Clay Ruby & Buri...
290224   Sutcliffe No More - Normal Ev...
100124   Occlusion - The Operation Is...
181223   Best Of 2023 - Music, Sound &...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2023. Twenty two years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom