Label
DREAM8888888888888888
- Something's up at Dream Catalogue HQ. The label's owner, HKE, recently announced he would turn it over while he dealt with mental health issues. The label promised to reissue some records and put out new releases that were already planned. Come 2018, Dream Catalogue would then enter the "Chaos Era," whatever that was supposed to mean. As it turns out, that was a four-compilation series called Chaos—we know that, though, because it came out last month.
Then Sleep Tsunami, by someone called Buried Angel, popped up on the label's Bandcamp. It's not strictly new. It first appeared last year on a label called Vault XYO, which only put out three releases before closing. Sleep Tsunami is likely the work of HKE, who has a long list of aliases. It's a curious but welcome reissue that presents some of his strangest work.
The first track, "A City With No Name," comes to sudden stops, with manipulated vocals so low and queasy they sound demonic. The EP has the same yawning melodies of HKE's Dragon Soul, along with songs that feature his trademark murky rhythms ("Water Ritual," "Residual Catacombs"). But the vocals are choked, the drums are off-piste and the tones are unusually dissonant. The best track, "Masked Dance," has an old orchestral recording chopped into jerky phrases. Its crumbling facade adds to the feeling that this EP is an oddity from the depths, and though it's not HKE's most approachable release, it's among his most original. Whatever's in store for Dream Catalogue, this reissue suggests it remains as unpredictable as ever.
Tracklist01. A City With No Name
02. Masked Dance
03. Water Ritual
04. Crying Angel
05. Children Of Gold
06. Prophecy Tablet
07. Tsunami Dance
08. She Sits Cross-Legged Beyond The Ocean In Divine Sleep
09. Residual Catacombs