VESSEL

Bristol-based Seb Gainsborough Vessel returns to Tri-Angle with a revelation of a 2nd album. Completing the metamorphosis initiated on his stopgap EP for Liberation Technologies, the Vessel moves completely away from the dancefloor, eschewing techno for organic post-punk electronics more in line with acts like Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire than his label mates. Like a bottle to the back of the head, crashing cymbals open ‘Febrile’, a not-so polite warning that this may not be a smooth ride. The industrial chug of ‘Red Sex’ follows, a pitch-twisted tour through an automated factory on the fritz. The menacing ‘Drowned in Water and Light’ builds slowly, compelled by ghostly synths and dub-strength low end, while the percussive ‘Euoi’ rattles and shakes but stays on track. Despite sporting a tempo that’s almost danceable, ‘Anima’ veers into the psychedelic, thanks to the hypnotic, pulsating drums, warped synth-riff and trippy organs. The ocean deep sub-bass of ‘Black Leaves and Broken Branches’ and the gorgeous textures of the title track sandwich the hyper-aggressive ‘Kin To Coal’. Vessel wraps his second LP unapologetically with the searing stomper ‘DPM’, ending appropriately in a final fit of distortion.

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"There is ferocity in Euoi, and the cacophonous climax of Akin to Coal; Anima's urgent, complex techno is buried under a VHS haze, de-rezzed to perfection. DPM's rattling, over-clocked electro leaves you gasping for more, while Black Leaves and Fallen Branches powerfully evokes its title, like a graveside snapshot. Vessel's second full-length album once again showcases his masterful sound design, but where Order of Noise was guided by dub and techno, this feels like new ground being broken. [Bram E. Gieben]