- The first SNTS album, The Rustling Of The Leaves, felt like it was building to something, which turned out to be its final track, "Roots Trapped In The Ground." It was a terrifying transformation from mysterious, spectral techno into a snarling beast of industrial. While sounding like it was clawing itself to shreds, the track also had a soul buried deep somewhere. As it turns out, it was the shape of things to come.
Losing Sight is a change for SNTS, as "The Grinding Inside" quickly reveals. The album marks a new chapter in the shadowy producer's career. Gone are the soothing and smooth productions of the old eponymous label, and the book has been closed on the Chapter and Scene EP series. Now there's a new label, Sacred Court, and a coarser, more primal sound. SNTS's music used to weave worms in the mind before making its way down to the hips. There's little of that on Losing Sight.
"Our Only Hope" is a commanding opener, with a neo-classical sound in the vein of FIS or Tim Hecker, though it lacks either's awesome power. It's a setup for the sucker punch of "The Grinding Inside." As with "Roots Trapped In The Ground," there's something inside the track that's clamouring to escape. But this time it's a voice, and the music sounds more manmade than animalistic. It begins a run of industrial compositions, all grotty, cacophonous and densely packed. "Telepathic Thought" is particularly seething, with all the menace of a Justin K. Broadrick assault, albeit falling short on impact. The music moves like a funeral march through a construction site, which doesn't quite feel right.
Losing Sight gets lighter from there. On "Blindfolded," choral voices break through the thudding metal, but the tune is riddled with drilling sounds towards the end. "Improving Senses" pitches its jangled notes up a bit, though it's still thoroughly relentless. "Daydream" provides some ambient techno relief. It's a reminder of the less forceful and balanced sound design that SNTS is capable of. The closer, "Beyond Reach," also takes us back to old and haunted SNTS ground. It's eerie and mystifying. It works like a palate cleanser, and will hopefully be another harbinger of what's coming next.
Tracklist01. Our Only Hope
02. The Grinding Inside
03. Limited Perception
04. Telepathic Thought
05. Blindfolded
06. Improving Senses
07. Daydream
08. Beyond Reach