It's getting on midnight in the sleepy town of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, people tell me I live here, I tell them to shove it. I guess though that any place that I can listen to Peculate in peace is a place worth calling home. You see, Peculate are the music of controlled chaos, they might not make sense on the first, second, or even third listen, but there is definitely something special going on here. This solo project is not the sort of thing to be taken lightly, and if you listen to it in the wrong state it can be a heavy trip. Yet, Ben Norton, the genius behind The Chain Industry has proved he has what it takes to create a genre spanning prog record.
Part of what makes The Chain Industry so fascinating is the way that Norton fuses genres. Simply put, at times it feels like there are two songs going on, or that, as one idea started to fade he just tacked on another, completely unrelated one. Yet somehow, despite it all, it works. Norton has used a few binding elements like off kilter beats, vocal effects and a contrast of light and dark to get a record that is incredibly engaging. The way that Norton puts inhuman screams on top of strange Brian Eno-esque soundscapes shows us a world where your mind is the key. The only way you can latch on too the mysteries of Peculate is through grim determination to understand the mind of a sort of musical genius.
Digestible or not, I'll tell you one thing, Peculate is damn good. Sure, there are a lot of other prog solo projects out there, but I challenge you to find one as mindblowing and unique as this one. Norton has a clearly defined sound and it's easy to fall in love with a man who clearly has great things set in his future. While it may be hard to feel the groove, you can certainly find your way into the great vibes that define this record. Spiralling and powerful The Chain Industry will melt your mind, but perhaps we are better off because of it.
Find Peculate on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/Peculate
No comments:
Post a Comment