Duncan Gray - The No Safe Word

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  • Andrew Weatherall's vinyl-only Bird Scarer label went quiet after four releases in 2012 and 2013, but it now makes a welcome return with a four-tracker from long-time Weatherall associate Duncan Gray. Given the ingrained nature of Bird Scarer's signature style ("drug chug" is Weatherall's way of putting it), it's unsurprising that The No Safe Word carries on where the previous records left off. Three of the four tracks pair chugging beds of bass and percussion (and I do mean chugging: the tracks are all between 100 and 110 BPM) with various synth flourishes. "Electric Razor" is the pick, its comatose bass punctuated by skittering keys and a sighing vocal refrain. "Kick Intrusion"'s flashes of light come from a chiptune-ish synth line and huge arcing squalls, while "Now We Eat" has a lighter quality thanks to its fleet-footed drums. The odd one out is "Engineer Salute," which swaps the drama of the other cuts for a more propulsive edge. The formulae on The No Safe Word may be uncomplicated, but the narcotic atmospheres Gray creates are intoxicating.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Kick Intrusion A2 Electric Razor B1 Engineer Salute B2 Now We Eat
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