[mn026]
Flatline Skyline
Horizon Grid
- Three Winter Months [ full-length mp3 ]
- Tension
- Bulletproof Bones
- Deadline Shoreline
- We Depart / Link Arms [ full-length mp3 ]
- Flatline Skyline
- Math Grenades
- 98 Tiny Reflections of You
- Riots in the Bloodstream
- Pinkslip Servitor | Same Servitor [ full-length mp3 ]
- Blue Jaunte
Total time: 54:33 min
Format: CD, digisleeve with 3-panel booklet, 400 copies
Release date: June 01, 2005
Price: 11 €
Originally spotted on a Zaftig Research compilation, Flatline Skyline is the collaborative endeavor of R. Andrew Scott and Jacen Kemp. Active in a variety of projects both together and separately, their collaboration as Flatline Skyline is an impressive and consistent amalgamation of influences ranging from IDM to abstract electronic noise, featuring uniquely introspective vocals.
From the acid-washed trip-hop tinged "Bulletproof Bones" to the dirge-like finale "Blue Jaunte", "Horizon Grid" comfortably incorporates diverse live and electronic elements. This debut is an intimate and melancholic collection of disarmingly affecting and honest music.
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Reviews
Industrial.org (by moron, August 10, 2005)
This is a rather strange one to be dropped by French industrial label Mechanoise Labs. While there has been a lot of variety over the years emanating from their camp this collection of blue and melodic electro-pop ditties I would have thought about as likely to bear the label's name as a collection of GOA trance tracks. I can't argue with the physical object sitting in my hands though so onwards and upwards.
Flatline Skyline build up their music around two main anchors: clean, emotive vocals and cinematic, dimly lit and at times cinematic IDM tinged synth pop. When I say synth pop you should think of something akin to Mago doing old Soft Cell covers, a little sweet but still quite melancholic. There is complexity here too, Phylr comes to mind for example when the celluloid flicker is particularly noticeable and each track seems to be extremely tightly crafted, perfectionist yet accomodating, economic but not cheap.
The vocals are very much in the forefront and act as workhorse for both the melody and lyrical content of the tracks. The vocalist sounds about half way between Marc Almond (sorry for the ancient reference, best I could come up with on short notice) and whathisface from Tool. The lilt in the voice is rather pronounced and adds a feminine, goth like quality which you will either adore or hate. J. Kemp's approach here (he handles the majority of the vocal duties) is to lyricise in a detached, delicate manner which reads a bit like a despondent youth staring at the sunset from a high balcony wondering whether they would scream as they fell if they stepped over the railing. You could even go as far to call this "synth emo" I suppose except for the fact that there is zero overt anger on this release, just an aloof sort of sadness.
I'm not so much of a dick to make the suggestion that what is here is not both adeptly executed and quite beautiful in its own way because it is and I am finding that it is growing on me through repeated listens which is a positive sign. For what it aims to do, this release is extremely successful and many aspects of it are for sure enticing - melodic hooks subtle enough to snag deep without triggering your pain receptors, structure at times breathtaking in its taught craftmanship and a consistency of vision that I definitely can appreciate. Where I run into difficulties is mostly a personal thing (or flaw depending on your viewpoint) - effeminate male vocals tend to irritate me. What exasperates this is that J. Kemp never rises above the level of mild detachment in his delivery and while not downright snide, it does come off as needlessly aloof, like he is holding someone else's baby while they get a fresh diaper and rolling his eyes the entire time. Even when the sounds underneath rise up in emotional revolt as on "Riots In The Bloodstream" the frontman is still off smoking a clove cigarette in the green room. Just once I wish that the manicured mask of control would slip off to reveal some deeper emotion or at the very least, vulnerability.
How "Horizon Grid" fits into your musical landscape will really depend on what you seek. If this was an instrumental release I would be unabashedly positive I expect and even in its current form I definitely respect the results despite being a little queasy about the vocal delivery. If you dabble in synth pop and Gothic realms with regularity then you should have no qualms about diving into this blue, serene pool (this is your new favourite album) but if you have been grinding your teeth on harder grains you might want to acclimatize yourself first lest you die from insulin shock upon initial listening (Seda E Marg this ain't).
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Funprox (by HD, August 15, 2005)
Flatline Skyline’s ‘Horizon Grid’ is the result of a collaboration between R. A Scott and Jacen Kemp. This debut release is a quite interesting blend of abstract electronic noise and accessible industrial pop like Nine Inch Nails or even Einstuerzende Neubauten. The beat is strongly present, sometimes resulting in a trip-hop kind of groove, sometimes creating a harsher technoid atmosphere.
A really nice track, akin to early Massive Attack, is ‘Bulletproof bones’ which has as most tracks, clear and sombre vocals, as if the singer is tired or drugged. A throbbing beat determines the course of the song, with underlayers of dark synthesizers and structured noises.
‘We depart/ link arms’ is a highly energetic, yet melancholic song you’d like to sing along to. The song’s structure and lyrics really invite the listener to it: ‘Dark, sweet sweet, bittersweet hello, it’s a shower of sound then to bed we go.’ Every track has a soul of it’s own, a distinctive structure which makes Flatline Skyline’s album definitely worth a try.
‘Bittersweet’ is a good description of ‘Horizon grid’, an album that’s definitely of quality, with enough variation and soul to keep it in your record-player for a while.
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Re:automation (by Stanley Robinson, August 16, 2005)
Flatline Skyline is the collaborative endeavor of R. Andrew Scott and Jacen Kemp, both of which have been active in a variety of projects both together and separately in the past. Their debut album on the flourishing Mechanoise Labs label is built upon a framework of emotional vocals and dark technoid sounds.
"Horizon Grid" creates a nice balance of melancholic IDM that sparkles with melody and sadness but at the same time comes off with a somber pop feel, like on the tracks "We Depart/Link Arms" and "Math Grenades." Other tracks like the beautiful and darkly lit "98 Tiny Reflections Of You" emote a depressive and haunting tone which builds into a claustrophobic and urgent end, created with a keen talent for complex string arrangements and droning synthesizers.
The vocals of Jacen Kemp are definitely the main attraction on "Horizon Grid." Mr. Kemp's fantastic vocals fall somewhere between Goth and EMO, but lack the adolescent rage associated with both. "Horizon Grid" is more about sadness and sarcastic despondence than of anger and hate.
I was quite stunned to hear such a release on Mechanoise Labs, who have been mostly known for releasing harder material in the past. Not that I'm complaining, it's definitely nice to see them branching out and releasing such quality music in a variety of styles and moods. "Horizon Grid" is not to be passed up, this is truly a contender for album of the year.
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Vital Weekly (by Frans de Waard, October 05, 2005)
Don't think I ever heard of Flatline Skyline before, but it's a band of R. Andrew Scott and Jacen Kemp. They play electronics and sing-a-long to those and 'Horizon Grid' is their debut. Crossing the boundaries of gothic like IDM, and IDM-like gothic, they are at times quite poppy, but somehow they won't make it to the charts with this. Overall, the atmosphere is a bit too dark and the songs are a bit grey. Occasional noise elements is another thing that will put the hit-makers of. However, me think this is quite a nice work. Kemp's singing reminded me at times of Marc Almond, but it's less soulful. That's perhaps my main objection against this CD: it all sounds to similar, there is no standout track, no real up-tempo one (or real down-tempo), a heavy guitar solo, god knows what else. For maybe eight or so tracks it's very good, but then the desire of change becomes urgent. Still, I think quite positive about it, would rate this with seven out of ten (if I would do such things).
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Connexion Bizarre (by M., October 13, 2005)
Flatline Skyline's "Horizon Grid" is an amazing piece of music and a great show of talent, even more so if one considers it is their debut album. Coming from a noise label, this was a very unexpected but welcome surprise: a collection of talented intimate and melancholic experimental music with a definite pop feeling. Unusual is an adequate adjective for the contents of this album, the songs of which consist of a seamless and highly cinematic creative blend of many disparate musical influences and styles, from noise and ambient to idm and pop into what can be best described as "experimental pop songs".
Flatline Skyline's intelligent compositions clearly show the artists' talent and skill in composing complex and engaging music, with great variety between and in the tracks themselves. The talented and clear vocals (only once are they distorted to great extent), distant and emotional at the same time, complement what is already great music capable of standing on its own, adding further depth and enriching the music with feeling when delivering what are excellent lyrics.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, "Horizon Grid" flows and evolves very naturally from beginning to end, the track placement being close to perfect. It is definitely best experienced as a whole, even though all tracks are great pieces on their own and a few eventually stand out. "Bulletproof Bones" and the fantastic "Riots in the Bloodstream" come to mind as two outstanding tracks in this album, along with "Math Grenades" and "We Depart / Link Arms", while the improvisational "Blue Jaunte" functions as a great conclusion piece. Overall, "Horizon Grid" is a stunning debut from a very talented duo. An innovative album that demands careful and attentive listening and should definitely be checked out by anyone with an interest in good music.
[9/10]
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Igloo Magazine (by Mark Teppo, November 01, 2005)
A collaboration between Robert Andrew Scott and Jacen Kemp, Flatline Skyline is a strange little flower growing in the noisy wasteland of Mechanoise Labs' discography. Known for more sonically challenging releases (noise, dark beat and experimental ambient), Mechanoise Labs has scraped back the surface layer of static to allow a little electro-pop record to bloom. Flatline Skyline is built upon a foundation of digital noises and synth-pop melodies, but the strange uniqueness of this release is the presence of Kemp's vocals.
Sounding like a lab-grown child of Marc Almond and David J, Kemp's laconic delivery is straight out of the opium darkness of the late Romantic poets, a hazy intonation that is filled with disembodied separation, lending a cold gravitas to the music. The melancholia of Horizon Grid is darkened by the preternatural ruin of a broke-down civilization that hisses and crackles in the background. "Flatline Skyline" warps with static and machine noise while the drum loops creak beneath the slow sink of Kemp's vocals. "It's just another scar on the atmosphere," he sings, relating the broken pieces of the relationship to the noisy detritus of modern machine living. Massive drums break through the bleak gothic atmosphere of "Riots in the Bloodstream," an aural assault that brings with it the shriek of metallic birds while Kemp intones his funereal lament. "Three Winter Months" grows from a sea of static, rising up on columns of glittering tones, and Kemp sighs with the secrets suspended in the fluids of modern machine age living: "We are your destiny/Your mirror-world machinery/We are not real, we are what you feel."
"Bulletproof Bones" chirps and shimmers with molecular life, the echo of metal plates being rung and the precise percussion of a drum machine while Scott croons (the single time he takes the lead on vocals) about the demise of the organic body: "Pipework metal plastic foam, shatter all things made of bone." "Tension," the only instrumental track on the record, vibrates with sanitarium-style menance, like a group of escaped prisoners banging on pipes and working satanic forges deep beneath the surface of the asylum.
Horizon Grid is Romantic mood poetry for the children of the Machine Age, caustic and razored heartbreak for the boys and girls with static in their eyes. It's a departure for Mechanoise Labs and succeeds wildly because it holds nothing back: Scott and Kemp have pulled back the metal casements from their hearts and are letting us see how all the pumps and valves work. Very nice.
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Side-Line (by Cédric, November 16, 2005)
FS is an American duo, which seems to explore the experimental side of pop music. It’s a quite unusual experiment, but it’s original. FS built up complex rhythm patterns they merge with an electronic ambient background. The vocalist sings in a kind of whispering half sung half spoken way, which makes it all a bit spooky. This is minimal, but pleasant pop music!
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Radium (by vtl, December 01, 2005)
The debut album of Flatline Skyline is definitely one of the biggest surprises this year, for two reasons: 1) The label releasing it is Mechanoise Labs, better known for much noisier output. 2) I can honestly say I like it a lot. This is not to say I generally have something against Mechanoise's releases, on the contrary, Horizon Grid just happens to represent a style quite far removed from what is usually found in the label's catalog, or on my record shelves for that matter.
Flatline Skyline, being a project consisting of two young Americans, is best characterised as an unlikely crossbreed of Autechre and Covenant. Rhythms composed of sharp digital noises and clanks infused with minimal drones provide a cold, but quite beautiful backdrop for emotionally charged vocals that range from the calm, softspoken voice on Bulletproof Bones to the over-the-top falsetto on the album's title song. Despite the slight naiveté of the lyrics, their tone is always honest, although sometimes in danger of turning into overemotional pomp. As a whole, the vocal tracks are probably what will be the greatest divider of opinions on Horizon Grid. If one can't stand their vaguely emoish style, then it will probably be impossible to concentrate just on the skilfully constructed backgrounds. On the other hand, as good as they are, the compositions would probably not work as well as with the attention demanding vocals. For example, the clever screeching noises of Three Winter Nights would simply lack the punch they have as underliners of the sung parts, and We Depart/Link Arms with its spastic rhythms would not be as fluid as a pure instrumental.
The general feel of the album is very poplike, even though the choice of instruments and sounds leans heavily into IDM and glitch. The captivating minimal buzzes, whines and pops are ever present, even though the tracks range in style and tempo from the balladlike ambient of 98 Tiny Reflections through the trip hoppy Math Grenades to the distorted thumping of Riots in the Bloodstream. Against all expectations, this stylistical hodgepodge never gets out of hand, and every last detail of every track is executed with meticulous precision and excellent sense of finesse.
Releasing Horizon Grid is a very daring move from Mechanoise Labs, but also one that is definitely worth making. Wholly another thing is will the album find a receptive audience among the regular Mechanoise shoppers. I hope it will, because Flatline Skyline is definitely one of this year's most original newcomers. The best way to get to know if the band's synthpop-IDM fusion appeals is to try, and missing it altogether would be a much greater loss. Only non-compromising industrial puritans need not apply.
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Virus Magazine (by Michael Casano, December 02, 2005)
“Horizon Grid” is the impressive debut CD from Flatline Skyline, a collection of electronic music marked by precision and passion.
Flatline Skyline is one of those bands impossible to describe, and even more difficult to compare, which is a rare quality these days. For one, the band’s music combines controlled noise and micro-beats, with an IDM approach. There is also careful attention paid to the lyrics and melody, which brings the whole album together into a cohesive design that can best be described as mathematically inspired music. The vocal performance is somewhere in the realm of spoken word poetry and singing, so the lyrics are not buried under sound. With nearly 55 minutes of music, this is a CD that requires multiple playbacks, as I listened to this album three times before even attempting a review. I would like to add that Mechanoise Labs deserves a lot of credit for releasing this CD, as Flatline Skyline will undoubtedly be a band to watch on the electronic music horizon.
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Medienkonverter (by Sandra, December 15, 2005)
Das war schon eine recht interessante Sache, als mich das schlicht in schwarz gehaltene Cover von Flatline Skyline anschaute und sich mir eine ebenso dunkle CD zeigte. Sofort, zog das meine Aufmerksamkeit auf sich und ich speiste meinen Player mit Horizon Grid, dem Debut des Duos, Robert Andrew Scott und Jacen Kemp, die beide schon lange gemeinsame Projekte betreiben und ihren ersten Track noch unter dem Namen "Mutemath" veröffentlicht haben.
Der Sound ihres Debut Horizon Grid fokussiert auf die Richtungen Experimental, Noise und Ambient, kombiniert mit weichen Synth-Pop Melodien und romantisch-melancholischen Klängen. Bereits der Opener, Three Winter Months, wartet mit wiederholenden hellen Tönen und treibender Melodie auf, ähnlich wie das Instrumental, dass sich daran anknüpft. Deadline Shoreline, der vierte Titel, bietet zur Abwechslung einmal dunkle Bässe und würdigt die überaus ausgeglichenen und sanften Vocals, bevor die sich-fallen-lassen Atmosphäre vom experimentelen sechsten Track abgelöst wird. Für eine Weile herrscht das Wechselspiel zwischen dem harmonischen Ambient und dem kühlen Breakbeat, Noise, der seinen Höhepunkt mit Riot In The Bloodstream findet, ohne den Faden zu verlieren.
Horizon Grid empfiehlt sich ganz sicher für die Hörer der Ambient/Noise Richtung und ich denke, Flatline Skyline haben sich mit ihrem Debut einen soliden Grundstein für zukünftige Arbeiten und Projekte in diesem Rahmen legen können. Vielleicht sagt das Cover ja schon eine Menge aus: weniger ist mehr und muss deshalb nicht gleich billig sein/klingen.
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Prémonition (by Bertrand Hamonou, December 25, 2005)
La musique de Flatline Skyline est née d'un contraste tellement évident qu'elle en est magnifique. D'un côté, les voix claires et parfois fragiles de Robert Andrew Scott (Bulletproof Bones) et Jacen Kemp, deux Américains qui se sont rencontrés en Virginie dans un cours sur la littérature de science-fiction. De l'autre, un minimalisme traité au noir absolu, drapé dans et des échos et un souffle démultiplié, entre microsons et décharges de hautes fréquences. Seulement voilà, il fallait y penser et oser remettre l'humain au centre de la machine, oser insuffler la spontanéité à cette musique d'ordinaire exclusivement instrumentale et robotique. "Horizon Grid" en devient alors tellement dense que l'on ne comprend plus bien s'il décuple les émotions de l'auditeur ou bien s'il s'en nourrit avidement pour l'entraîner encore un peu plus loin. Tout ici semble si fragile et si rigide à la fois, comme le prouve Blue Jaunt, le premier titre improvisé jamais enregistré par le duo, et dont les paroles ont déjà été oubliées. On croit penser à Endraum sur 98 Tiny Reflections of You, on imagine reconnaître le chant de Darrin Huss sur le titre Flatline Skyline, mais les repères s'évanouissent rapidement. Plus qu'une symbiose parfaite entre l'homme et les machines, ce disque monumental prouve que les imperfections et l'âme du premier sont indispensables à la survie des secondes. Un must d'une grande mélancolie et d'une beauté encore plus pure.
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