NEXT GENERATION
After a lengthy but fruitful hiatus (two EPs and an album in three years, not bad going for a breather), Dan McRae and Dave Ren have finished cutting their solo teeth and got their heads together to release this, the nameless follow-up to their 2002 debut 'Matica'. This time the action has jumped from Southampton imprint Skool to McRae's London-based outfit Thin Recordings, and any fears of a sophomore slump have jumped with it - it seems their time apart tinkering on their respective Thin Films and T'ien projects has given Ren and McRae's co-operative output a dose of something poweful and mind-expanding. Probably illegal too.
Lien's dedication to their own steer of 'cinematic electronic' remains as committed as ever and the tracks on offer here conjure up all manner of imagery, infused with the intricate tweaking which made their debut such a rewarding headphone adventure. This time however, things have taken a darker, more sinister turn. Whereas 'Matica' was the perfect soundtrack for an eleven-part PG-13 sci-fi saga, the black album is a more dramatic, nocturnal affair. If Iain M. Banks' 'Use Of Weapons' ever makes it to the big screen then this is what should be coming out of the speakers: a sonic labyrinth the listener navigates by strands of violence, redemption, revenge and catharsis. Disc openers 'Final Ghost' and 'T'ien' are both delicately succulent numbers - dangled bait to lure us into the spooky maze which awaits. Things start to prickle up on the string-laden 'Imperial Fights' with its stirs of bass and robotic sneering, and by the time we get to 'Terratogens' we're lost in a dark cave, shivering at batlike flitters and the moaning glacial chimes that McRae used to perfection on his 'Eskimo' LP. Undercut with Dave Ren's twinkling synths and ominous score, this album is a honed exponent of the Lien approach to music - turning pictures into noise. 'Sweet Eclectic' demonstrates this ethic perfectly: imagine the National Grid converted into a sound; a symphonic overture of pylons wired together in parallel with 'Order Of Nine' to produce a thirteen minute paradox of melancholy euphoria and warm digital fuzz.
The album reaches a belated peak with the gorgeous 'Subrider'; three minutes of deep ambient bliss that evokes both The Orb's 'Orbus Terrarum' and Boards Of Canada at their heart-tugging and nostalgic best. Enjoy the tranquility while you can because it's soon back into the fog for epic two-part coda 'All Under Heaven'. This is undoubtedly the album's second wind: rousing strings and stormy bass, the perfect score for the pre-showdown weapons montage.
After such a largely sinister trek, 'Girl Kimono' may not be the shimmering light at the end of the tunnel we were expecting - think spent warrior amidst corpses, post-carnage moment of reflection - but that goes to show that Lien don't just write the soundtrack, they write the script as well. Though it won't be to all tastes this is definitely a record that warrants repeated attention and will stick in your mind like a pair of fangs. Fade to black, and bring on part three.
Review by George Bass
