THE (FALLEN) BLACK DEER

"Accompanying the White Magic session also released on Latitudes this week, The (Fallen) Black Deer's Requiem (what's with the parentheses back there?) bills itself as an alternate soundtrack to Kubrick's movie adaptation of The Shining. Any such intention instantly squares the record up against the sublime Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind score not to mention the various snatches of Ligeti, Pendercki and Bartok that populate the movie. The original's going to take some beating, and of course this twenty-five minute selection of avant-rock instrumentals is a very different beast, though the atmosphere of precariously balanced harmony and disharmony remain true to the spirit of the film, with the band (otherwise known as Red Sparrowes) wrenching an impressively sinister range of sounds from their instruments. While it'd be all too easy to slap a post-rock' tag on this, that'd be doing the musicians involved a great disservice. In truth this is far more abstract than that, even though on certain occasions (notably 'A Lost Love') this does start to flirt with the gloomy melodies you'd hear from primetime Mogwai. A very strong release from the Latitudes camp, and one that does actually achieve the sort of ominous, oppressive atmosphere it sets out to evoke. Highly recommended." (boomkat)