Orchids & Wasps by GIL
Nightmare vibes with squawking crows and chanting children, what's not to like?
Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Vaghe Stelle, El Mahdy Jr. and IVVVO, new experimental kid on the block Gil Schneider presents Orchids & Wasps, his debut EP through Aisha Devi's Danse Noire label. The blistering five track introduction takes no prisoners, think Rabit, Roly Porter or J. G. Biberkopf and you're in the right ballpark. Listen on Soundcloud:
Opening track Bruxism is the closest we get to the dancefloor, with its banging bass drum offset by an indefinable screeching refrain, and oddly proves to be the track least likely when compared with the wonderful nightmarish screams of Onset and the melodic chanting children of (my personal favourite) Many.
Fittingly, Onset is given the overhaul treatment from J.G. Biberkopf and Imaabs, the former paring down the blue murder screams to a lesser state of panic while the latter introduces an ominous, stripped-back mood. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it certainly blasts away any lingering complacency.
7/10 after 9 listens