Gremlens – Gremlens are Dead.
Gremlens – Gremlens are Dead.
Gremlens are a difficult band to recommend, because no matter what words I include with it on Google (Bandcamp, Gremlens are Dead., Gremlens from Space, Gremlens the band) nothing ever comes up. Perhaps this is the crux of naming your band something so generic. Thankfully, the music itself is far from it. Released August 26, 2021, Gremlens are Dead. was a solid followup to their previous efforts.
The noise on Daypeels, the opener, is insane. Screeching noises are buried beneath a fuzzy, omnious soundscape that is ever-evolving and consistently demoralizing. Spamda utilizes its distortion and layering to a grand effect, resulting in a track whose wall of noise is both ethereal and substantial. This technique doesn’t always suffice, however; the distortion is ramped up far too high on Murderahs, as its soundscape sounds both muddy and cluttered in an undesirable fashion. Daisuck proves the artist would do a brilliant job at an ambient album. The reverse sampling and frenzied guitars also work brilliantly on Raleigh, though the track is not as long as it should be, and the vocal sample is wasted potential. The same could be said for No Devil Worship, and especially Doggy Star; both these tracks would have worked better without their samples.
Unlike Gremlens From Space, there isn’t a coherent theme throughout Gremlens are Dead. As a result, the album feels like a collection of leftovers, though thankfully well developed. Moreover, the amount of progression alone is admirable. Its main problem stems from its over-reliance on samples; had the artist incorporated a less-conventional device or melody to carry his/her soundscapes, the album could have excelled. The main draw is not the plunderphonics, but the noise. One can only hope Gremlens are not truly dead.
Good
Listen to it here:
Gremlens – Gremlens are Dead.
