Album Review: Giles Corey - Deconstructionist

Album Rating: N/A

It seems like with every Enemies List related post put here, the more and more I fall in love with the absolutely bizarre sounds that the label is able to create.  A safe haven for the "weirder" side of music, ELHR manages to put out music from a wide range of influences, with black metal, folk, electronica, and drone all rearing their heads.  With Dan Barret at the helm, critically acclaimed acts such as Have A Nice Life and Giles Corey are able to blend these seamlessly.  Last year, Barret released his "end of the world" folk record, Giles Corey, with a surprisingly reserved sound.  That is, reserved for the man responsible for Deathconcsiousness.   But with his newest release, Deconstructionist, Barret has traveled outside the realms of music into something much more experimental, and the experience is one not soon forgotten.

To be frank, Deconstructionist is less music, and more an experiment in sound.  Accompanied with the record is a very in depth electronic booklet.  Inside, it details what the listener is hearing and why.  It's all very scientific, and for inquiring minds, it will certainly be a worthy read.  There are instructions on how to listen, with some bizarre ones as well, such as tapping mitts to your hands.  However, these are all given valid reasons, such as the aforementioned tip being a somewhat commonly used method of confinement.  The sounds reverberate and pulsate maddeningly, with background noises making everything just a tad bit eerie and unsettling.  And truly, unsettling is the key word here.  Within the album's run time,  Giles Corey presents the most ominous sounds out there and it is all the better for it.

Because what is on this record is so difficult to describe, and damn near impossible to put into any one genre or classify with any one sound, I will refrain from giving this a score.  Instead, I give a very hearty recommendation to those who consider themselves to be musically adventurous.  For this reviewer, the time spent with Deconstructionist was odd, but very exciting in a way that new discoveries are.  This is unlike anything found on Giles Corey's self-titled debut.  There are few "beautiful" moments, and scarcely much reminiscent of true music, but the end result is one hell of a ride.

Bandcamp

Track List:

1. Awake Now
2. Infinite Death
3. Epsilon