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REVIEWS
BRAINWASHED
...the remix album included with the first one-hundred copies of
Aural Anagram is a more cohesive, varied, and interesting exploration
of droning sounds and sexual expression. Instead of being a series
of nine tracks like the original was, Anal Aura Gram is four tracks
tied together very closely so that the recording can be experienced
as a whole. By cutting the album down by ten minutes and condensing
much of the original material, Liles creates an almost deafening
world. It isn't deafening because it's overly loud or overpowering
in any way, it's just that the sounds used produce the aural equivalent
of claustrophobia. Every sound has a tactitle quality, whether it
is feathery softness or the cold feeling of making a discomforting
observation. More melodic elements are present than on the original
and not so much time is devoted to near-silence or frustrating repetition.
The vocal samples are used more sparingly and multiple textures
are used throughout so that nothing overstays its welcome. This
sort of attention to detail adds to the eerie and dire feelings
that were attempted on the original mix: various melodic tones float
like bubbles and are flourished by rolling sparkles in piano-like
ascents and descents. Small buzz-saws cut away quietly in the background
while other alien sounds stutter and chop their away across the
sound spectrum. Here and there feminine moans and abrupt cries appear
and disappear within the mix creating a vaguely erotic tension while
maintaining a secretive tone that hints at violence, destruction,
and (somehow) infidelity. There are fewer overtly sexual references
made, but the ones used are both exciting and unsettling. The remixes
are everything Aural Anagram could've (and should've) been, so those
interested should grab a copy before they all disappear. - Lucas
Schleicher
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