Scorn "Imaginara Award EP" Hymen Records ¥710 2000 (24:31)
Out of the Picture (5:46)
Worried (5:48)
As If (5:17)
As If (Part 2) (2:30)
Tock (5:10)
Mick Harris returns under what's likely his best known identity, this being the first new studio Scorn material proper since 1996's "Zander" and predecessor for the new album "Greetings from Birmingham", both via new label home Hymen. With Scorn you know what to expect: deep and minimal, slow and heavy, hip hop flavored sub bass groove bathed in dense, dark ambient atmospheres and found sounds. The ingredients are essentially the same but the recipe is a bit different this time: less repetition, more variety in song structure and overall not quite as minimal as the past few albums. "Out of the Picture" punishes your speakers with slightly overdriven bass warbling and a snare heavy rhythm. "Worried" features a Hed Nod (see also Hed Nod Session 01) worthy beat and nice space-y background drones. "As If" drops piano notes and bits of cut-up audio effects into the mix. Part 2 is a brief and not all that necessary excursion through sloshing liquid sounds with a subtle submerged thumping. "Tock" is the most upbeat of the lot with a persistent hi-hat and, once again, the overdriven bass line that I'm starting to get tired of. Bottom line: it's Scorn. It's good but there are no big surprises here. Harris seems quite content to exhaustively explore every nook and cranny of his particular sound for many years, so either go with his flow or get out of his way. I hope the album, due out now, will have some surprises in store ...
Where did I get this cd? - mail order via Forced Exposure.