Aufgang is the third album from the Giegling sublabel Forum, which has so far released Prince Of Denmark's The Body and Vril's Torus. The first full-length from Zum Goldenen Schwarm, an artist with just one past 12-inch on Giegling, is closer in style to The Body, but for long stretches it feels much more pensive. Aufgang captures a specific mood—an introspective and sometimes supernatural gloom—then chews it over across four sides of vinyl.
The album is hampered by ideas that are spread too thinly. It does, however, have a pretty strong spine. "Aufgang I" and "Aufgang II" employ booming drums and hi-hats that hiss like gas canisters. These are grainy, finely-weighted dub techno tracks with just the right amount of dirt and oil on them. "Aufgang III" is a beatless passage that introduces a faint choir and a violin loop, buried deep in the mix, that might be the prettiest section of the album.
Taken on their own, the other tracks on Aufgang are pretty good, but when they're strung together the results are a little lethargic. Between the beginning of "Weltentor" and the end of "Ubergang," there are about 25 minutes of sleepy kick drums buried under distant echoes and gently swelling ambient sounds. "Schwelle" is typical of the album's spectral atmosphere. Its reedy synths float like wisps of smoke, and the drums, coated in white noise, add to a general sense of dread. As good as this track is, its mood is explored so exhaustively throughout the album that you appreciate its graceful sound design a lot less than you otherwise might. Aufgang's weak point, then, is mostly a matter of editing. Any five of these tracks would have made for a terrific EP, but with such sleepy sequencing, Aufgang isn't as compelling as it could be.
The album is hampered by ideas that are spread too thinly. It does, however, have a pretty strong spine. "Aufgang I" and "Aufgang II" employ booming drums and hi-hats that hiss like gas canisters. These are grainy, finely-weighted dub techno tracks with just the right amount of dirt and oil on them. "Aufgang III" is a beatless passage that introduces a faint choir and a violin loop, buried deep in the mix, that might be the prettiest section of the album.
Taken on their own, the other tracks on Aufgang are pretty good, but when they're strung together the results are a little lethargic. Between the beginning of "Weltentor" and the end of "Ubergang," there are about 25 minutes of sleepy kick drums buried under distant echoes and gently swelling ambient sounds. "Schwelle" is typical of the album's spectral atmosphere. Its reedy synths float like wisps of smoke, and the drums, coated in white noise, add to a general sense of dread. As good as this track is, its mood is explored so exhaustively throughout the album that you appreciate its graceful sound design a lot less than you otherwise might. Aufgang's weak point, then, is mostly a matter of editing. Any five of these tracks would have made for a terrific EP, but with such sleepy sequencing, Aufgang isn't as compelling as it could be.
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