Beach Sloth

The Dept. of Harmonic Integrity - In Deck and Deft, A Whim, A Weft 8.2

                The Dept. of Harmonic Integrity uses repetition to maximal effect. Rhythm is through a series of pulses. Percussion is non-existent. Sounds outside of a specific spectrum are kept out. Focus is extraordinarily intense. With this minimalism ‘In Deck and Deft, A Whim, A Weft’ manages to create something of staggering beauty. Little variations on the themes happen quite quickly though it may not be apparent upon the first listen. Multiple listens are highly recommended. At first the sound may seem extraordinarily slow moving. However the bounciness of the work helps to keep it extremely interesting. Tempered alongside a natural knack for melody and it creates pleasant melodies seemingly gestating out of the clouds of sound. 

                ‘Pulse’ has a self-explanatory title. To reduce it to mere pulses is not quite true. Here they focus on the gradual crescendos of the sound. Multiple layers interact with each other creating various levels of distortion. Most of the song teems with a high-level of anxiety. Darkness washes over the considerably bleaker ‘Limbs +’. For ‘The Ouudan’ they sprawl out into almost everything, from repetition to drone to almost noise. What steals the show though is the frankly incredible ‘Upon the Starry Skies’. Here they perfect all those previous ideas into a classically-tinged piece. Pacing on this track is perfect. Various sounds go in and out of phase with each other. This creates a disorientating feel to the track which is tragic is scope. With these minor melodies, the tiny tweaks it manages to convey the sense of drama without a single word. 

                By the final two tracks the music undergoes the epic sweep of ‘Harmonic Corollary’ and the little wave of ‘Various Achievements of Tomorrow’. Each one does a good job closing out what is a rather tender warm release.