jupitersterrain four

Only with third track "Your Loft My Acid" are we offered a first hint of proper electro àla "Hands Around My Throat." her operatic coo complementing his perverse acidic tweaks. She shows up again on "Witch Dance," which doesn't veer far away from Austra's own aesthetics; it reminds of their song "Spellwork," albeit with a less glossy sheen. On these two cuts, Fearless take on synthetic pop is weirdly lo-fi, and synths are made to sound exhausted yet strangely humane. The same can be said about "Drugs" and "Coum," which both recall Spiritualized's fragile universe again, with Holmes trading the gospel choir and bombastic arrangements for misshapen, distorted melodies

The self-explanatory "Drone Reich" offers the same kind of warped ambience while coming across as a Satan Circus outtake—as does most of the instrumental material made available on a second, limited edition CD. Older fans might feel more comfortable with these, even though it's obvious Death in Vegas wants to take them elsewhere with the album proper. This is never more evident than on the album's closing duo "Lightning Bolt"/"Savage Love," the former a cavernous and restless go at new-wave-like indie-rock noir built around a stomping bassline, a reverberating Moog and an evanescent guitar riff, the latter a slow-motion yet conquering, rumbling anthem that bursts into a jubilant and orchestral display of white noise. It's a fitting end to a truly striking album

21.59, 29.12.12. misc draft