AL_X - Shunt

I wasn't able to find much about this artist, but the man behind the project is named Alex Dunford, and he's an extremely experimental guy. While I've not heard of him before, this was sent into the site for review, and I'm finally getting my filthy little fingers on it. Whether he's diving into ambient, rock, electronic, classic, folk, or anything in between, he's doing a fair job at combining and crossing genres to make a unique blend of sound, perfect for relaxation (seriously, it managed to quell my pent up mood as soon as I began listening to it.)

The album was originally meant to be just a small four track EP. However, somehow along the lines, that got all fucked up and came out to be a sweet twenty two track full length album spanning around seventy minutes in total. It's meant to show off the many dreams and nightmares this man has, and he is quoted as saying, "I always have trouble sleeping, and when I do, I have very vivid dreams and nightmares, and they stay with me for a few days. The subject seems to be quite dark or deals with large spaces, so I can try and work with what I can remember, and attempt to put that into music with various instruments and textures...".

And, if dreams are meant to be showcased, then I would agree with a full heart that dreams are being musically interpreted. Ambient textures start us off with Stormness, and the sound dominates a few of the first songs, serenely placating us to a breezy state. Too Late, Too Far keeps the ambient sounds, but also adds in elements of smooth rock, and vocals that match the nonchalant atmosphere.

Takk (Ens Sens) adds in more classical instruments and chimes here and there, a faded female vocal faded in the background, with the first minute and a half playing off fairly quiet. A more heavy aura parades in after a period, and nears in again toward the end after more low key sounds.

Into The Trees comes in with more ambience and electronics working its way to become an interesting song. Shunt (Part I) was a drone track. Hard to pull off, but also somewhat boring in comparison to the previous songs, the one thing that kept it from falling completely apart were the drums and the little, scattered effects.

Faux began off with a nice folk tune and high pitched vocals before uplifting into considerable flavors nearing the middle to end. A bit of drums and guitar paired with the already established sound of the artist in Klomino, while Interlude I presented a piano break in the midst of it all.

Faster paced electronics graced Colder, but that tone didn't last too long. Screaming Across The Sky came in next and soothed it all out, nice little strumming and piano work making way for a pacifying peace. Theme From Fractal was another nice piece that played with some laser-like sounds, as well as manipulating familiar sounds.

Violin instrumentation took favor in Who Now When Now, while Shunt (Part II) played with more drone tones to little fanfare from myself. Blindness was odd, the vocals being more outspoken and not as soft as before. Perhaps this was a song influenced by the nightmare portion of his dreams. Nicely done, though.

Strond was another well done instrumental, as was Back Into The Trees. I couldn't help but feel a bit of an 80s feel to the latter song, and that helped me enjoy it more. Slower and more relaxed, (I Was) Supreme held up nicely. Going back to where the album began, Stormness Returns offered more decadent ambience with a main drone line; the synth in the background as well as the piano work made it work, however.

Ghosted had a somber tone to it, and the piano work was well done, which helped me enjoy Interlude II even more since that was a pretty well done, mainly piano piece. Second to last song Striking Thirteen went well, sounding a bit hopeful. And, finally sending us off on a darker note was Bain. Not bad, eerie, but not the best either. Still a bit of a shock to see as the last track on the album.

Now, I did enjoy the whole album through and through; haven't really heard much like this before and I'd be willing to listen to it all over again. My main criticism of the album comes from the predictability of the album. Not in the sounds that are produced, for there was a lot to intake, but the structure of many of the tracks. What I noticed was that a lot of the songs began quietly, followed by intense ambience showcasing a minute or two later in the song, and sort of stuck with that note. Such as in Too Late, Too Far, Into The Trees, Faux, Klomino, Theme From Fractal - You get the idea.

Even then, the album was a great listening experience. I'm looking forward to what this artist can produce next; it sounds like he has a plethora of ideas at his fingertips, and that there are many more to be touched upon and explored through this creative and extravagant mind. Jul 16 2014