THE BLACK DOG
Bite Thee Back
DUSTV001
12”
Dust Science Recordings 2005

The Dog is well and truly alive. If it has been a while (three years) since any new material from The Black Dog came our way, it was well worth the wait. Following years of solitary confinement, The Black Dog is once again a trio, over ten years after Ed Handley and Andy Turner went their own way. Still firmly headed by Ken Downie, The Black Dog is now also brothers Martin and Richard Dust.
Bite Thee Back is the first release from this new look Black Dog, and the first new material since Downie’s collaboration with Scottish poet Black Sifichi on the stunning Unsavoury Products. If 4 3s 777, which opens, is close to Downie’s work on that album, albeit without the droning rambling of Sifichi, the rest of this EP sees an invigorated Dog explore a variety of new sonic territories. While Bite Thee Back is a Detroit-infused composition that evolves from ambient waves into a heavy-footed techno monster, Invoke and Evoke are far more atmospheric, built around progressive beat patterns and complex sonic constructions.
Although the classic Black Dog touch is palpable throughout this new EP, The Black Dog of 2005 is a very different outfit to the one that pioneered its way through to the forefront of British electronica in the late eighties/early nineties. Downie’s project was always going to be a volatile ensemble of talents, and Bite Thee Back is the demonstration that he and his crew are more than living up to expectations.

NITRADA
Four Remixes
2ND019
12”
2.nd Records 2004 

Four Remixes sees Apparat, Lawrence, Telefon Tel Aviv and Turner revisiting three tracks taken from Nitrada’s recent We Don’t Know Why But We Do It album, each offering a different perspective on the work of Hamburg-based Christophe Stoll.
Apparat and Telefon Tel Aviv remix Fading Away, each retaining some elements of Kaye Brewster’s vocal contribution but placing in different contexts. While Telefon Tel Aviv remain close to the original mood, with added textures characteristic of the pair’s recent work, Apparat offers a more abstract and angular version of the track, working on a multitude of layers, from the gritty clicks that open the piece to the treated string section found hanging between more delicate electronic effusions. These apparent rough surfaces provide the vocals with a contrasted background, very much in the vein of Stoll’s own work, yet fresh and unique, allowing for the track to evolve in a completely new direction.
In the hands of Lawrence and Turner, with their respective remix of Everything Is Not Right and No. 4, Nitrada ventures into totally unknown dance floor territory. Far from being nonsensical anthemic ‘tunes’, both tracks prove at once subtle and delicate. Interestingly, although the original pieces are somewhat different, both remixes tread on similar ground.
Coming hot on the heals of an excellent album, this EP consolidates Nitrada’s profile and demonstrates how adaptable and malleable Christophe Stoll’s music is.

ROD
All My Love
US007
CDS / 12”
Front End Synthetics / Underscan 2004

There is a lot of love put into this effortlessly beautiful EP from Dublin-based Rod Morris. Previously only available on the Neo Ouija compilation Cottage Industries Vol. 3, the title track now comes with a remix from Spectac, who has previously been noticed reworking Planet Mu’s Ambulance, and two previously unreleased tracks, Kalico and Nova Scotia on this joint release by Underscan (12inch) and Front End Synthetics (CD).
Rod Morris spent most of his formative years studying piano, drums and music theory before throwing it all away to focus on electronic composition. Remains a natural flair for beautiful melodies and sumptuous arrangements, as captured on the three original pieces included here. Of the three, All My Love is definitely the most accomplished and singular. Based on a slow-progressing melody and crisp moody atmosphere, it captivates by its understated beauty and appears as a dream sequence caught in a rapid moment of consciousness. Although Spectac doesn’t manage to match the excellence of the original, he has the merit of not even trying to, chosing to develop his own theme instead. The two remaining tracks offer further incursions into dreamland territory, with Morris sculpting his soundscapes to reveal hidden beauties. Although more discreet than the title tracks, both Kalico and Nova Scotia prove extremely convincing.
At times evoking a more austere version of Board Of Canada, Rod Morris defines some precious sonic grounds here. As he is currently working on a full length, this EP is a more than promising teaser.

MOLE HARNESS
Stray Dog Army
MZL01CD
Stray Dog Army Records 2004
CDS

First release on the Mole Harness record label, Stray Dog Army follows the superb first album All Your Memories Return At Once, published last year on Bristol-based Float Records. The project of James Brewster, Mole Harness combines beautiful instrumental electronic soundscapes and guitars to create subtle melancholic compositions.
Stray Dog Army collects five tracks recorded over the last couple of years. Four of these tracks were originally released as a limited edition 3 inch CD single on Japanese label Universal Frequencies as part of their Electric Folklore series. This new version also features the previously unreleased nine-minute epic Roman Roads. While the title track was part of a live soundtrack to Kevin Anger’s film Inauguration Of The Pleasuredome, Ending Too Soon was recorded for a stillborn project aiming at collecting one minute compositions on a 7 inch single, and Ripples On Underground Lakes was recorded shortly after All Your Memories Return At Once. The comparatively long two remaining tracks, clocking at seven-and-a-half and nine-and-a-half minutes respectively, are more recent recordings and denote a slightly more minimal approach to musical structures and streamlined arrangements. These two tracks reveal the electronic treatment applied in a much clearer way than before, as beautiful sonic landscapes emerge from clouds of looped processed guitars to develop in a variety of shapes.
Stray Dog Army gives an interesting insight into the development of Mole Harness in the last couple of years while hinting at things to come. This superb release, found somewhere at the crossroad of Isan and Greg Davis, is a deep reflection on the many connections found between atmospheric electronica and guitar-based music.