Perth-based musician Nicholas Allbrook has come through with brand new live experimental recordings titled surf ii. The Pond bandleader and Tame Impala affiliate has really excelled on this release, bringing emotive, interesting and emotive new tracks that sound incredible.
“the other hand” starts this project off with synths and keys, as well as wave sounds that are spaced out and incredibly moving. His vocals throughout bring raw, unfiltered emotion and sound booming on this soundscape. “a fool there was” similarly has a spacey, synth and key-heavy composition, with percussion and what sounds like flutes throughout. “iii” is more electronic in sound, with its scattering beat and grandiose synth lead, while the slow-paced and beautiful “manganese” makes it one of my favourites on this tape. The slow and key-heavy “karrakatta cemetery” is also fantastic, while “waves” is a minimal, track featuring loud wave samples and a piercingly clear vocal lead from the talented musician. “radio siberia” samples waves again but then goes into this abstract synth composition that is slow, moody, reflective and stunning throughout. There is a pitched down vocal sample that is muddled in the beat, but adds character and texture to the record. It’s a great way to end this tape. Overall, I’m loving the abstraction and experimentation on these field recordings, and I hope to hear more solo material from Nick Allbrook, who has already established himself as one of the best voices of this generation with Pond.
Listen to Nicholas Allbrook’s new project surf ii and don’t forget to support! All proceeds to the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre.
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