Smoggy undertones of abstract space rock and ambient electronica, pervade the sweeping aural dimensions of experimental sounds created by this newfound three-piece collaboration. Former band members of post-rock outfit Labradford, Mark Nelson and Robert Donne have joined forces with percussionist Steven Hess (Locrian, Fennesz) to form the ambient electronic trio Anjou.
Intergalactical ambient music from Anjou will have you gazing at the stars in endless wonder. Their existential sound will spark thought- do I really exist?
Described by experimental Chicago label Kranky, Anjou are the “product of 20-plus years of friendship” and “the culmination of four years’ writing and editing”. For the first time since Labradford’s last release 2001’s fixed::context, Nelson and Donne have reignited their unique and groundbreaking musical friendship with the addition of Hess, who brings to the trio an eerie aesthetic with his foreboding arcane rhythms.
They’ve just released their first self-titled album, which takes Labradford’s earlier sound to an elusively darker, murkier and more brooding place through the use of modular synthesis, Max/MSP programming and live instrumentation. Anjou’s beautifully forbidding and hazily detached electronic sounds are created by digital and analog synth programming, which take detours into areas of ambient noir. The trio’s palpable respective musical talents see Anjou skillfully weave temperate ambience and sublimated melodies with otherworldly electronic textures.
Sighting is the first single from the album and marries clanging, industrial noises with mellow harmonies. A shroud of dreamlike ambience gradually builds into a steady, enigmatic rhythm framed by guitar, bass and the presence of Hess’ prolific percussion. Hypnotic and groundbreaking, Anjou’s electronic synths and ambient drone craft a masterful experiment in sound and texture.
Anjou’s debut self-titled album is out now through Kranky.
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