SubtractiveLAD - Kindred

Someone did it, someone finally picked up where Tangerine Dream left off at the end of the 70s. This is long-form work of a very high caliber, truly, most of the songs on here clock in at well over seven minutes; the opening trio of tunes "The Available Light","Hesperus is Phosphorus" and "What You See" I can only view as the successor to the godlike 'Rubycon' album which Edgar Froese and companions put out in 1975. This album is available in both shortened physical and full digital formats (the latter includes a pair of rather impressive remixes from Jase Rex and Bitcrush, an additional bonus track and the riveting video clip for the song "Hello, Goodbye"), and it once more shows what a great time it is to be a fan of esoteric electronic music.

Stephen Hummel, who is SubtractiveLAD, is a true believer in the term 'synthesis' as he designs most of his instruments himself and like anyone who stands out in their field, his background is not in this sort of work. Take a deep breath, this guy comes from a Jazz/Improv origin but his love of analog devices propelled him into the world of totally immersive electronic composition and immersed you will be by "Kindred"; man oh man are there a lot of variables at work on here. The nicely propellant washes, the manic key lines which race across the landscape like doomed ants ferociously trying to keep up the pace until it kills them.

There's an acoustic side as well, the first chunk of the song "Hello, Goodbye" plays out like a gently babbling brook with some whimsical acoustic guitar accompanying the mellow drums and reverbed piano but then night falls and everything goes awry, the electronic side comes out forcefully and you're running through a screaming palette of insanely vivid textures. It's impressive how subtly he introduces the layers of sound through shifting pauses and then changes the entire tone of what you're listening to with just a couple notes. The delicate touch of a craftsman in his element, honing each nuance until they are what stand out. The fine print is always what's most interesting, it shows the intent plainly and "Kindred" has it in spades.

This is album number seven from SubtractiveLAD and from here on out, I'll be keeping a close eye on what he does. It's almost absurd how many artists like this guy are lurking out there just waiting for a pair of ears to ensnare, quietly doing what they do simply because they must, for the sheer pleasure of creating what only they can hear. The 21st century is indeed turning out to be the futuristic playground we envisioned but in ways one has to truly focus on to notice. "Kindred" is an electron microscope in this regard, details details and yet more details. It's an arduous task to try encapsulating the monumentally constructed tunes Hummel unleashes, I can't even imagine what it's like to have them swimming about in your head. Apr 24 2011