If you look back through the Hercules Moments archives and read some of
my previous reviews, you might note the fact that I am quite a big fan of
65daysofstatic. Working with this knowledge, you can probably guess that my
reaction to the news 65 member Paul Wolinski was releasing a solo album under
the name of Polinski was quite a happy one…
Written while 65 were on hiatus (or in reality, writing, touring and
recording the Silent Running soundtrack
– they don’t seem to be a band good at sitting about), Labyrinths is a solo effort eschewing the live instrumentation of
the main band, instead being created entirely digitally utilising various
computer based synths and software packages to the point that even the few
snatches of vocals are the result of synthesis rather than a microphone.
As for how it sounds? In one word: stunning. Labyrinths is an album that will have familiar threads to someone
versed in 65daysofstatic, yet moved into more of a dance or electronic sound.
Imagine the relentless pulse and electronics of a 65 track like Tiger Girl just turned up to eleven, and
without the rest of the band, and you have a good place to start.
Opener 1985 Quest drops you
straight into the world of a re-imagined 1980’s sci-fi theme: grand spacey
synths are paired with a modern rhythm and feel, introducing the relentless urgency
that seems to flow through the entire album. Even in the slower points, such as
the intros of Tangents or Kressyda, this still ebbs and flows
along in the undercurrents before inevitably bursting out in a wall of synths,
noise and beats. The album finishes in truly epic fashion with closer Awaltzoflight, which has taken every
lesson learned about massive soundscapes from 65’s work and put them all
together in one grand finish.
To try and sum everything up, if you could imagine a blend between the
soundscapes and epic feel of 65daysofstatic and the electronics of a band like
Justice or Daft Punk you might be able to guess where Labyrinths is aiming.
DL
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