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Recording:
  Deus Irae  
 
Artist:
  Mystified  
 
Label:
  NoType  
 
Release Date:
  11.December.2003  
 
Reviewed by:
  PostLibyan  
         
 
Rating:
   
         
 
Introduction:
 

Tired of paying for music, but scared the R.I.A.A. will sue you into debtor's prison? Well, EvilSponge has the hookup for you. There are plenty of free "releases" on the web, if you know how to look.

One series that i have enjoyed is NoType's Sine Fiction series. This is a collection of avante electronica interpretations of science fiction novels. A wacky idea, but you get some great music out of it.

I have reviewed 4 separate Sine Fiction downloads. Check the "Related Links" section after the review for more of them.

 
         
 
Review:
 

Part of the fun of the Sine Fiction series has been downloading and listening to releases for things i would like to read, if i ever have the time. This book, a tale of a parapalegic cyborg out to paint a portrait of the angry god of a post-nuclear holocaust cult, sounds like the type of thing i enjoy. (In a way, it seems vaguely reminiscent of A Canticle for Liebowitz, by Walter Miller. A great book, by the way.) It also sounds like just the sort of thing that Zelazny (who is most famous for his Amber series) and Dick (who wrote, among other things, works that were the inspirations for Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report) would dream up together.

The music here is excellent. I cannot speak for the novel, but Mystified really seems to have done a fine job of using ambient electronica to capture mood. The first piece, Tibor and the Ancients is a rumbling ambient interlude. It is a mellow and reflective piece, perfect for the novel's main character to reflect on those who brought the nuclear holocaust down upon mankind, thus causing his deformities.

The second track moves along at a loping pace, and is appropriately called Tibor Moving. Apparently this describes the portion of the novel where he is travelling about, looking for the angry god, so that he can paint the portrait. It is a well done piece with a constant rhythm and plenty of strange computer noises describing a pleasant, if odd, journey.

The next tune is Recylced T, and i am not immediately sure what this one is about. There is a low rumble as of surf breaking against the shoreline, so maybe Tibor's journey takes him to the ocean. There is also an eerie bass rumble, and creepy synth tones, so all is not right at this seashore. Still, a nice piece that does well at setting a disconcerting mood.

Future Visionary is a more joyous song. Primal drums clatter beyond long synth drones. This song reminds me, in some small way, of the work of Young American Primitive (always a good comparison) in that it has that same combination of a joyous primal spirit with high tech noodlings. Appropriate given the title, don't you think?

It logically flows into a pure ambient piece, the lovely Irradiated Air. This is a song of flowing synth tones that often swell into almost violent noise. It continually starts, builds, and fades out. One gets the impression that old Tibor is having a hard time holding onto consciousness in the irradiated air. Nonetheless, this is a lovely ambient track, in which the ebb and flow of sound create an overall relaxing atmosphere.

Finally, the journey ends with Tibor Cycled Out, a title which doesn't leave me with much hope for a happy ending to this novel. (Then again, happy endings never were P. K. Dick's style.) This is a ponderous piece of sparse piano and synth hits. Nicely done, and a lovely, if somewhat melancholy, way to end this album.

On the whole, this is an excellent release. Even if it were not associated with a Philip K. Dick and Roger Zelazny novel i would enjoy it tremendously. In fact, i would go so far as to say that this is the highpoint of the Sine Fiction series: high praiase considering how much i have enjoyed the series overall. According to the ID tags in the MP3 files, Mystified is aka Thomas Park. Watch out for these names, mark my words.

Now i need to go get this novel to see how the music pairs up with it.

 
         
 
Related Links:
 

4 Sine Fiction Releases have been reviewed here:
Sine 004: Foundation by Julie Rousse (after Isaac Asimov)
Sine 005: Dhalgren by Dick Richards (after Samuel R. Delany)
Sine 008: The Nine Billion Names of God by Oeuf Korreckt (after
             Arthur C. Clarke)
Sine 012: Deus Irae by Mystified (after Philip K. Dick and Roger Zelazny)

 
         

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