Athabasca: Hardscapes / Robophobia

A mysterious London outfit who would actually appear to be one man - Dal Knezevic - Athabasca operate in a sphere where it’s possible to hear a whole host of influences from right across different musical landscapes. Knezevic has brought these sounds together under the banner Hardscapes (although the 2019 EP Robophobia appears in full as bonus content) and it’s easy to hear why, the composer’s own experiences living in the urban centres of Vienna, Toronto, Zagreb, Berlin and, of course, London, alluding to the dark, dense, harsh atmospheres lain out for us to experience.

Much of what we encounter on this journey of urban decay, discontent and revolt, centres on foreboding synth surges pinpricked with much more colourful sprinklings of hope, although the latter aspect is always the secondary thought line as the likes of “M99� wends on its not so merry way. Reminding of everything from Aphex Twins and Orb to early Porcupine Tree and Tangerine Dream via Alan Parsons project and Mike Oldfield, the repetitiveness proves remarkably hypnotic and hugely effective as it paints its unsettling pictures - electronic percussion used to build tension during “Sans Domicile�, although it’s never at the expense of the overarching mood and tone.

Some tracks add clever little grooves and pay-offs, but it’s not this album’s core intention, “Demoralise/Denigrate/Immiserate� much more interested in holding you at arm’s lengths through its austere clicking and swooping. In itself it’s a thing of beauty, but more something to be admired from a distance rather from within, making the results all the more intriguing. It’s a brief sojourn, running at under three minutes, but then quite a lot of the tracks do likewise, with the results being short shapeshifting pieces that never begin to flog a dead horse through their reliance on utilising looping ideas and phrases. It’s a very smart decision, with the mantra of ‘keep them wanting more’ in the forefront as “No Logo� adds unexpected melody to proceedings, while “#OccupyBufferZ� sits in an energetic sphere Jean Michel Jarre often likes to reside in, but here the results are a little less obvious.

That all said, for me it’s the opening pair of “Untermensch� and “World On A Wire� which make the longest lasting impression and with the two tracks between them stretching to thirteen and a half minutes, proof, if we needed it, that Athabasca can thrive in a longer form setting.

Thematically and musically linked, but really quite different in execution, the six pieces that make up tracks eleven to sixteen come from the aforementioned Robophobia EP. Immediately the introduction of drums hits as a real shock, Knezevic aided on a couple of songs by drummer Jerry Sadowski and bassist Marko Novakovic, while Gabriele Pollina adds handpan to one offering, “Deep Blue Defeat�. And yet, once that initial surprise abates, so it’s quite obvious why this EP was chosen to expand the CD edition of Hardscapes - and arguably I’d suggest the results here are maybe even just a smidgeon stronger.

Running to just under thirty minutes, this add-on EP truly stands on its own merits, but I have to say that listening to “Robocene� take up the mantle from the main album offers a truly interesting opportunity, jazzy elements that hadn’t previously been experienced taking similar themes and adding a decidedly different twist. “Butterfly Dream�, which possesses bass but not organic drums, alters the tone once more, before the fully electronic “Alpha Decay� resets the scene in enigmatic fashion. From there “All Monsters Are Human� (with drums, but no bass) proves to be as jagged and uncompromising as its name suggests, the percussion used more to add mechanical pushing and pulling, while the synths bring a dystopian steampunk vibe. The handpan from Pollina offers a more ‘musical’ element to “Deep Blue Defeat�, but again, this is hardly welcoming fare, even if it is captivating, before “Anthropocene� closes the whole experience in a fittingly bleak style.

Two releases brought together onto one CD often makes for a truly disjointed end result. Nothing could be further from the truth with Hardscapes / Robophobia, the pairing conjoined in a way that still allows both to add to the experience of each other while retaining their own individual voices. That strong element comes through time and again from Athabasca, their ability to tell involved and involving stories through music that at first feels less than inviting, a skill that few can master as expertly as that shown here.

Track Listing
Hardscapes
1. Untermensch
2. World On A Wire
3. M99
4. Sans Domicile
5. Battle Of Seattle
6. Demoralise/Denigrate/Immiserate
7. Rigaer 94
8. No Logo
9. #OccupyBufferZ
10. Urban Prairies
Robophobia
11. Robocene
12. Butterfly Dream
13. Alpha Decay
14. All Monsters Are Human
15. Deep Blue Defeat
16. Anthropocene

Added: April 2nd 2022
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Athabasca @ bandcamp
Hits: 773
Language: english

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