BVDUB & IAN HAWGOOD
The Truth Hurts
NKR001
Nomadic Kids Republic 2011
04 Tracks. 73mins20secs

Amazon UK: CD | DLD US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD

The inaugural release on Ian Hawgood’s new Nomadic Kids Republic imprint, The Truth Hurts is the first collaborative effort between Hawgood and Brock Van Wey, but it is not quite their first encounter. The pair were introduced by Mike Oliver, the man behind the former London-based shop-come-label Smallfish, and Van Wey soon released an album on Hawgood’s Home Normal under his  Bvdub moniker.

The Truth Hurts is a rather impressive collection of ethereal atmospheric electronic music, counting just four lengthy contemplative compositions. Built from recordings Hawgood had gathered over the course of twelve years, which served as starting point for Van Wey to arrange them around his own music to create this forever shifting ambient collection. Who exactly is responsible for what here, or exactly what type of sound is used, is impossible to determinate for certain, so dense, vaporous and vast are the soundscapes presented. If at times, there are hints of acoustic instrumentation, these are often quickly looped into dreamy sequences or covered up with forever expanding layers of sounds, until they become simple components of much bigger formations. One thing links Nothing You Want Will Ever Come True, Lie In Lone and Your Grand Finale (A Theater Of One) is the widespread use of ethereal wordless female vocals, which are looped and woven into the sonic fabric of each piece, yet appear to hover just above the surface so they remain distinct enough, a technique strongly reminiscent of what the Cocteau Twins did for most of their career. Vocals also form part of Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Pretender, but they are buried so deep under layers of sounds that, unlike on the other tracks, they become integrant part of the sonic fabric of the piece.

These four compositions work in quite a similar way, building up from delicate touches (delayed guitars on Nothing, gentle folk motifs on Lie In Lone, dreamy soundscape on Beauty and Your Grand Finale), which are progressively washed away by wave after wave of heavily processed electronic textures. Deployed over the twenty four minutes of Lie In Lone or Your Grand Finale, the constant layering of sounds and textures which takes place here is nothing short of impressive. Like wave sequences, each track seems to respond to its own rhythm and pace, but the patterns bear much resemblance across all four pieces. The sedimentation process happens at a faster rate on the first two tracks, but, as the latter two expand well over the twenty minute mark, Van Wey gives himself ample space to slowly apply each new layer and build up to monumental codas.

This first effort by Bvdub and Ian Hawgood may not be a collaboration in the purest meaning of the term, where the two would have actively worked together on creating a piece of work, yet there is no denying that their respective sonic worlds and visions are perfectly complementary. Van Wey’s blending of his and Hawgood’s contributions results in a totally immersive and hypnotic collection which, while extremely basic in form, continues to captivate long after its initial impact.

4.4/5

Bvdub | Nomadic Kids Republic
Amazon UK: CD | DLD US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD