The best instrumental music can bring back long forgotten memories, feelings of elation, and Jedi-like wisdom about the future. There is always a time and place for the singer / songwriter album or screamed aggression. But isn’t it nice to follow our thoughts to wherever they may lead us with the perfect music sans vocals? I’ve been very fortunate this year to discover quite a few instrumental electronic albums that not only hold my attention – they transport me to another world. W Λ n Λ (wearenotafraid) out of Venice, Italy have delivered a stunning masterpiece with their latest record, Flowerheads.
The band is composed of two members – Elya has a background in classical piano and electronic sound whilst Enrico’s background is as a metal guitarist and electronic musician. The disparate elements really gel into something quite beautiful recalling the best moments from Moby, Faithless, and even My Bloody Valentine. The duo mixes / masters their own music and use both vintage and modern instruments. The result is a record that engages the listener on a visceral level and reveals its beauty with each subsequent listen.
Selected highlights…
Fine, before we came – The album starts out with mellow piano for the 1st 30 seconds before a harsh industrial beat overtakes the song, setting the tone for what will come. The piano is always there, holding down the song – even as the noise threatens to overtake the song.
tom.iork – the washes of guitar that introduce this track remind me of something from My Bloody Valentine’s magnum opus, Loveless. This fades into an incessant beat, very heavy in the mix. Buried beneath the noise are washes of wordless vocals, used as another instrument in the mix. brilliant.
Earthquake – A warm electronic piece, reminding me a bit of my favorite songs by Moby. Repetitive synth tones before an industrial beat comes into focus. The song then shifts into a very noisy section, electronic experiments threatening to go off of a cliff before suddenly fading out.
This is going to destroy you – the album closer harkens back to the opener with its mournful piano and ominous tone. Unlike the opener, this track stays focused on the piano and is beatless (beyond some electronic white noise complimenting the piano). Perfect ending to this stunning album.
This is a great record, one that I wasn’t even aware of until just a few weeks ago. I’ve listened to it well over a dozen times since then and keep finding more things to love about it. The best part? You can listen to the record in full or download it by following the link embedded at the bottom of this review. What are you waiting for?
Verdict: Soundscape masterpiece
For fans of: Sonny Lanegan, Stephen Jones, Nine Inch Nails, Moby, Faithless
Tracklisting:
1. Fine, before we came
2. Can’t remember a fuckin’ thing
3. Katharsis
4. Doppelganger
5. Granular love
6. tom.iork
7. Zugzwang
8. #kidscenes
9. the ghost pt. III
10. Earthquake
11. Rising #54
12. This is going to destroy you
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