- In February, Visible Cloaks released their much-praised second album, Reassemblage. By releasing another full-length this year, Spencer Doran and Ryan Carlile have proven themselves to be tireless explorers. The music here is the result of feeding several dialects and accents through language translation software. ("The idea... was to create a projected language that was a fusion of many," says Doran.) These voices—which, as Angus Finlayson has noted, are central to their work—provide structure, however elusive, to their ambient drifts. As esoteric as the use of language translation software might seem, Doran and Carlile work their magic on these dialects and accents.
Of the first five tracks, only the first tops three minutes. "Wheel" opens with a flurry of voices, as if emanating from a bank of televisions all tuned to different channels, before an elegant ripple of electronics slows things to a stately pace. A Southern American twang can be heard on "Keys." "Transient" moves from a stern, synthetic voice that recalls a German accent before it slips into something less clear. Plonks of mallets arise—they underpin Doran's Fairlights, Mallets & Bamboo mixes—as does an ethereal ambient passage, which ends far too soon.
The 14-minute "World" is the core of Lex, an extended piece that brings to mind the side-long track "Escape Music From City To Paradise," from their 2015 debut. Just as Lex's first half seems to blur past, there's an immersive aspect to "World." Watery sounds slosh around, airy tones drift at the periphery and chords ripple outwards. It's not easy to remember just what happens here, nor does it build to a discernible peak. But when it begins to fade away, you feel slightly disappointed to be guided out of that world and back into this one.
Tracklist01. Wheel
02. Frame
03. Transient
04. Keys
05. Lex
06. World