Customer Reviews

By the Throat

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

2nd release from experimental Icelandic artist mixes processed ambient/noise electronics with
animal sounds & other organic sonic sources to create a work that is both subtle & invasive, with
a harrowing aura of dangerous beauty. Think Coil meets Philip Glass, late at night in a dark
forest.

I first listened to Ben Frost when he released his sophomore full length album, Theory Of Machines on Bedroom Community back in 2007. I described his music as ambient hardcore - psychologically raw, punishing, and overdriven guitars, with reverberated pads and rhythms that mutate into white noise and back, sending chills that originate deep from within your ear canal and slide down to your toenails. That album left a lasting impression on me. Enough to select it as one of the best albums of the year. I didn't think that Theory Of Machines could be outdone... That is... until I put on By The Throat. While listening to Theory Of Machines, I compared Frost's sound to that of an angry furry armadillo, creeping up the inside of my legs with a cold long needle, leaving me drenched in sweat. And with this latest installment, the chills rise up my spine and hold me, in perpetual, electric shock. The cover art alone puts into my mind the images of my final moments, lying naked on the snow, steam rising from the breath of a hungry wolf, his teeth sunk into my throat. And the track titles do not let up. Through The Glass Of The Roof, Through The Roof Of Your Mouth, Through The Mouth Of Your Eye. And the music? Dark grinding metallic strings scratched through distorted pads, deep breaths, growls, and choking melodies. The intensity of the bass and guitar riffs create instant goose bumps, tickling the inside of my ears, and clawing at my chest. White knuckled at the seat, I think I accidentally scratched a healing scab off of my back and now I'm bleeding through this white collar shirt, the tie restricting my cries. Let me out! I've heard some dark and terrifying ambiance in my lifetime, but Frost's onslaught is incredible. I stand applauding. And the production? We've got top notch mastering going on here, with perfectly sampled strings played with dry bows over thumping kick, and rising voices. With contributions from Jeremy Gara of The Arcade Fire, Icelandic quartet Amiina, Swedish grindcore band Crowpath, and of course, the classical touch of Nico Muhly the roster of artists is exciting alone. Oh, and did I mention that it was co-produced by Valgeir Siguršsson? It was created under the cloak of nocturnal snow in the far northern reaches of financial-fantasy island, a concept borne of Frost and weapons manufacturer, war monger and evil genius Sruli Recht, captured by the all-seeing-eye of Bjarni Gríms and forged in the fires of hell by Rebeca Mendéz... Frost's music is all about contrast - merging beautiful classical minimalism with the dirty grind of metal and drone core. This combination is unsettling to the mind, refusing to split in half and choose between the genres. Born in Australia, Frost is now living in Reykjavik, Iceland - home of the above mentioned artists, and of course Siguršsson's acclaimed Bedroom Community label. His debut solo album, titled Steel Wound, was released on Room40 in 2003. There's also a two-track digital EP, released together with Lawrence English, titled Anyone Can Play... Anyone Can Sing (Dreamland, 2004). In 2007, Frost released Theory Of Machines on Bedroom Community, and spent the next two years cooped up to dream up this nightmare. Let me restate my earlier conviction: By The Throat is even better than Theory Of Machines - a feat I thought impossible to bear. This is the music of suspense. The terror of the unknown. The ethereal melody at the end of the tunnel that gets cemented off a few inches away from your desperate crawl. The piano keys expand and shrink with pressure, and the white and black chip off and vanish. The tension ends with the last track, and although you can exhale, you want to feel the angst again. You want to feel. You want to feel...

All you have to do is close your eyes while you listen to this, and you will see something. Every time I listen, it's a new experience; it's terrifying and beautiful. I am seriously convinced that Ben Frost actually recorded images and turned their waves into sound, because that's how sharp the pictures are in my mind while I listen. And each sound grips you-- it is not hard to fall into this music.

If there is one album I could recommend to anyone, I think it would be this one. It's not an "easy" listening experience by pop music standards, but it's easy to be captured by it. I, in my slumbering lifetime, have listened to nothing I can compare it to in sheer density, beauty, and immersion.

Just saw songs from this album performed live at Sonar Chicago. It was an incredible experience - the bass reverberates through you and the wolf sounds send chills up your spine ... I am grateful for the opportunity to hear such rare music live in Chicago.

The first time I heard of Ben Frost was through BBC's Mary Anne Hobbes. I was completely blown away, it was an abstract, dissonant, experimental set of electronic music that immediately had me go out and get a copy of Theory of Machines.

By The Throat, Ben Frost's second release, doesn't disappoint anyone who enjoyed Theory of Machines. It retains a lot of his characteristic music motifs (dissonant synths) and some thematic callbacks (Killshot, for example, employs a lot of deep, heavy bass hits a la Stomp from Theory of Machines). At the same time, By The Throat develops a very different musical soundscape from Theory of Machines. Whereas Theory of Machines had a very abstract, passive ambience to it, By The Throat is far more aggressive and darker, a turn which is immediately evident from the tracklisting ('Killshot', 'O God Protect Me', 'Through the Roof of your Mouth', etc). In this sense, it's more 'concrete' and 'realized' than Theory of Machines, which is evidenced by the use of more 'real-world' sound synthesis and sound sampling (animal sounds, chorals).

All in all, a great maturation for Ben Frost. I bought this album without even bothering to listen to a sample, and my faith (albeit blind) was well-rewarded. It's not for everyone - it very much earns its label of *experimental* music, but if you're at all remotely into this kind of sound, it's an amazing experience.