Asserter – Infigurable
Asserter is a fourth world producer from Louisville, Kentucky. His works blur the lines between ambient, noise, drone and metaphysical explorations. Heavily inspired by the August Underground film series and the video game LISA, Asserter has completely altered his sonic palate in favour for menacing and ominous soundscapes. While darker and more varied than Float Primes, Infigurable is a fairly plain follow-up to the artist’s magnum opus.
Infigurable explores a completely different dimension to Asserter’s previously released albums. Still boasting a child-like wonder, Asserter rummages through lucid, maddening soundscapes akin to a bad trip. Intro to Sublime is the gentle downward spiral, appropriately titled, and beautifully structured. Like the two proceeding tracks, it boasts magnificent depth. Barbet (Homebound Bird) is as gritty as it is sophisticated. Raga and Genus Primum continues the charm, finding an erudite balance between playfulness and insanity. Later down the track-listing is Beauceron (Inter 1); a short but varied composition that’s a treat from start to finish. Lastly, Llamgi Cymru borderlines more on EDM than fourth world, but blends the two domains in a commendable manner.
Sadly, the compositions get rather lazy from Bluthund onwards. While the repetition of Bluthund may have worked extraordinarily well for a video game/movie OST, its progression is far too sterile for a dedicated listen. Unlike the foreign soundscapes of preceding songs, Bluthund sounds like a Metroid or Xenogears song overly distorted. While it may be unintentional, it feels limited by the structure. Moreover, the track is missing the subtle progressions that made previous songs standout. This last comment could also be applied to Ovcharka. Deeper Quilt feels like it repeats itself too much to warrant its run time; both the first half’s cubic structure and the second half’s baron drone. Killing Meadow continues the drone trend with nothing of value to offer, as does its follow-ups Malded Meadow (Inter 2) and Bernard. Lastly, Braque fluffs around for the first half of the track, but thankfully explores an estimable eerie domain in the second half. Sadly, it doesn’t offer enough for a listen to stay till the end.
What makes Asserter’s work standout once again are the distinct fourth-world soundscapes, that sound unlike anything else in the field. The artist demonstrates fluently that there is still quite a lot left to be explored sonically in the realms of noise. Unfortunately, much of the album is a chore to get through. It’s a shame, because the opening three tracks stand as some of Asserter’s best work. More attention should be paid to composition in future; many of the tracks rely on their aesthetic to carry them, but they don’t work as seamlessly as his previous efforts. Perhaps it’s the limitation of the genre, or perhaps the music has been too inspired by video game soundtrack structures. Nevertheless, Asserter will undoubtedly benefit from a more focused approach in his next release.
Above Average
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