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  • Ian McDonnell's latest record is the third in a series called THE END IS NEAR on Killekill's Vanta sublabel. When you put its sleeve alongside the covers of previous instalments from Dez Williams and Kamikaze Space Programme, you get three quarters of a vision of hellish suffering courtesy of French artist Elzo Durt that recalls the work of Hieronymus Bosch. McDonnell's music suits the image. The Lakker member has previously used his EeOo alias to celebrate early hardcore rave on an EP for Unknown To The Unknown. Is's stodgy techno is leaner and more lethal, but retains a fascination with lurid electronic sounds that induce a strange, visceral pleasure when they hit your eardrum. "Pearson Operator" is the show-stealer in this regard, thanks to the bass-cum-leadline. It's more portamento than note, squiggling and smearing itself obnoxiously over a graceless kick drum pulse. "Poe" is chillier, its descending bassline groaning in diabolical symphony with tortured high notes. The track suffers from a problem common to McDonnell's music. Heavy saturation dulls its vivid sonics, making the overall effect impressive but somewhat diffuse. That's made up for by the syncopated drums, which periodically bleed away to nothing before bursting back into frenzied action.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Pearson Operator B1 Poe
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