[mn034]
Flatline Skyline
All Sound / No Vision

1. Sleep Tight
2. No Dial-Tone [ full-length mp3 ]
3. Other Dreams
4. Aperture
5. Fox Fight [ full-length mp3 ]
6. Fearful Symmetry
7. Ex-Marx [ full-length mp3 ]
8. Be Good to Them Always
9. Death By Eyes
10. ...And The Moon Swam Back
11. One Secret

Total time: 44:28 min
Format: CD, digisleeve with 12-page booklet, 500 copies
Release date: April 16, 2009
Price: $13

The second album from Jacen Kemp and Robert Andrew Scott stands as a stylistic counter-statement to 2005's "Horizon Grid." Fierce, emotionally driven and abrasively textured, "All Sound / No Vision" confirms Flatline Skyline's masterful sense of tension and release and melodic sensibility while further evolving their sound beyond any previous expectation.

Where "Horizon Grid" forged atmospheres of lethargic bliss and nocturnal stillness, these eleven new tracks are united by their restlessness and unstable nature. From the energetic vocals and metallic shard-like pulse of "Fox Fight" to the improvised noisy electronic shudders of "One Secret," there is a new-found sense of visceral life that breathes, screams and seeps into every moment of this album. Jacen Kemp's voice plays a prominent role in this aspect; its multi-faceted intonations are perfectly suited to the shifting electronic foundation.

"All Sound / No Vision" was mastered by JJ at Golden Mastering (Xiu Xiu, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Calexico, etc.) and was made possible by the generous help of Bertrand Hamonou.

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Connexion Bizarre (by Dutton Hauhart, June 15, 2009)

The most catching attribute of the project from Robert Andrew Scott and Jacen Kemp is a delicate juxtaposition of stirring vocals against a fabric of technoid- and electro-inspired instruments. Companion to this is an attentive stance toward both structured development and melodic, emotional ingress. Flatline Skyline finally returns, four long years after its insular debut, "Horizon Grid" (2005), with an album that opens up, extravagantly spinning lullabies into unhinged diatribes and subdued atmospheres into new wave hooks. "All Sound / No Vision" pulls classic industrial charm together with post-punk tension-and-release to create something intriguing, if not memorable. Although a window is offered by the vocals on this release, songs remain suitably dense, at once bombastic and muted, an impenetrable quality in which some may choose not to dabble.

Opening track "Sleep Tight, Silent Knight" typifies Flatline Skyline's approach: blunt, with heavy beats and plaintive singing in counterpoint to deranged shouting of the selfsame lyrics. To complete the composition's balance, a delicate violin enters later, an instrument that reappears, to great effect, in softly sung "...And the Moon Swam Back". Others on the disc are more minimal in their appeal. The spindle-pulled tones and chanting included on "Other Dreams" lends it a meditative nuance, while "Aperture" stands as a typical interlude, bulging with the rumbling and clanking to which dark ambient is prone. That same heaviness carries over into "Fearful Symmetry", a militant yet subdued application of atmospheric pads and muffled vocals, where everything seems to shimmer and fall a bit out of tune in a wavering, loosening grip upon reality. Another beauty, "One Secret" closes the album with barely intoned vocals blending seamlessly into ambient noise that all builds toward a further distorted and layered intensity, with rising intonations and corresponding electronic shrieking.

"All Sound / No Vision" is a multifaceted album that confronts listeners with pop tendencies, taking inspiration from the sharp beats, brimming bass and lyrical delivery of indie rock's more electronic leanings, as in "Fox Fight". It similarly finds substance with a blended new wave versus old industrial feel, the former being stressed in angst-ridden wailer "Be Good To Them Always", the latter in "No Dial Tone", which itself channels "Pretty Hate Machine"-era vibes, right up until the crashing noise attack in its final minute. In a reductive sense, the suppressed turbulence of instruments on "All Sound / No Vision" presses ever forward, while lyrical kicking and screaming oscillates between buoyancy and dead weight. It fails quite badly, for instance, in "Ex-Marx", a track containing fabulous instruments where the vocals quite literally strangle any potential. Despite this, Flatline Skyline overall benefits from its oddly familiar genre-bending forms and passionate articulation.

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Darktwincities.com (by Christopher Roddy, June 26, 2009)

The stirring of a static filled, digital breeze drowns out barely audible words while an ominous synth whines. A rolling beat builds in intensity as though there's something making its way toward you with haste. Then a harsh, Electro rhythm thunders forward and strained, dual vocals scream out about the "skeleton of somebody's house in the tangles of a tree." Scathing noises are softened slightly by strings before the whole song seems to melt into a sinister dusk.

That is how Flatline Skyline introduces its second album, coming four years after the debut, Horizon Grid. This time out Robert Andrew Scott and Jacen Kemp are focusing more on restlessness and instability which lies in stark contrast to the more plaintive ambiance listeners may recall. Regardless of the approach they take this duo makes music that defies categorization and provides listeners with a challenging performance that is ever changing. In spite of the lengthy hiatus they are prepared to return with at least four albums of varying material that will keep fans on their toes. All Sound / No Vision is the first entry into their ongoing series and it's a charged effort featuring percussive fury that might give an act such as Babyland pause counterbalanced with extended forays into atmospheric experimentation.

While there's plenty of noise generated over the course of forty-five minutes there are always undercurrents of melody present softening the jagged edges of what would otherwise be a difficult journey to take. "Other Dreams" buzzes for four minutes with monotone vocals and an understated tunefulness but the track remains unresolved at the end, asserting minimalism in the face of uncertainty. "Fox Fight" takes a diametric approach with clanging percussion and traditional, Indie Rock songwriting elements, including a fairly standard vocal melody which is juxtaposed by ringing synths and occasional bursts of distortion. There's a tug-of-war evident in many of these songs between the well-traversed and the deliciously avant garde.

While a song like "No Dial Tone" brings to mind the feedback-drenched noise of Medicine's Brad Laner, particularly in its closing moments, "Fearful Symmetry" is more akin to the melted Darkwave of Lovesliescrushing. The last half of the album passes by rather quickly with shorter compositions and an occasionally aggressive stance. "Be Good To Them Always" is an especially tantalizing treat with an ever changing beat, desperate vocals and a high degree of layering that builds on a rush then seems to implode in on itself.

After a couple tracks which embrace a more ambient tone the album closes with the lengthy "One Secret" which spends a whopping six minutes and fifty seconds laying out droning, beatless sheets of despair. All Sound / No Vision isn't going to appeal to a wide audience but it does strike the listener as being a sort of alternative to the standard even while retaining elements of familiarity. If you can get into the unpredictable Industrial of an act like genCAB and appreciate the atmospheric experimentation of Dead Voices On Air than this will probably appeal to you.

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EtherREAL (by Fabrice Allard, September 03, 2009)

Flatline Skyline est un duo américain composé de Robert Andrew Scott et Jacen Kemp, dont le label Mechanoise Labs sort ici le deuxième album. C’est déjà le label français qui avait produit le premier CD, Horizon Grid en 2005, après les avoir découvert via un titre sur une compilation du label Zaftig. On n’avait pas écouté le premier album, apparemment plus apaisé, c’est donc avec ce deuxième album que l’on découvre le duo.

A l’écoute du premier titre, on se demande si notre platine CD n’a pas un problème, si le CD n’est pas endommagé. Le duo possède un son bien particulier, disons très inhabituel des productions electro-indus qui nous a été donné d’écouter depuis quelques années. Une production moderne, mais orienté vers une lo-fi forcée, a grand renfort de souffles, grésillements et grincements, très certainement la marque d’un passé orienté vers la noise, et qui donne l’impression d’être ici le fruit d’un défaut de production. C’est en avançant dans l’album que tout devient clair et force le respect pour ce duo sans concession et qui apporte un nouveau souffle à un genre (l’electro-indus) devenu particulièrement formaté.

Flatline Skyline se démarque d’une part par ce son, crade, grésillant, allant même parfois jusqu’à donner l’impression de "perdre le signal" lorsque le chant devient haché sur No Dial Tone. Ah oui, l’autre grosse surprise, c’est le chant. Si celui-ci n’est pas vraiment nouveau au sein des productions industrielles, il semblait devenu absent des productions récentes très tournées vers l’electronica. Le chant est ici presque un passage obligé, dans un style très particulier qui a l’avantage de parfaitement se marier avec la musique. Le son est dur, le métal y est particulièrement représenté, notamment au niveau des percussions, et les textes sont presque criés plus que chantés. Une voix qui semble sortir tout droit des entrailles de Jacen Kemp, éraillée, dérangée, plaintive, troublante, on a même envie de dire braillée parfois (Be Good To Them Always), sans la connotation péjorative que ce terme peut suggérer.

On l’a vu, le son de Flatline Skyline est dur et vraiment marqué indus. Rythmiques sèches aux tempos soutenus, basses synthétiques, un chant empreint, mais le duo n’oublie pas d’insérer des mélodies qui donnent corps à l’ensemble, à base de sonorités travaillées, conférant à l’album une véritable couleur pop. Certes, on est plus proche d’une électro-pop sombre, mais avec de véritables élans qui font par exemple de Fox Fight un véritable tube tout droit hérité d’une scène cold wave. D’ailleurs ces voix véritablement chantées plutôt que des samples vocaux, nous évoque assez souvent Gary Numan ou Skinny Puppy. On pourra être surpris par les trois derniers titres, beaucoup plus apaisés, avec en particulier un quasi féerique ...And the Moon Swam Back, ses petits tintements étoilés et un son éclairci.

Une excellente découverte, véritable surprise et plaisir de découvrir ce genre de production, nous donnant même envie de rechercher le premier album du groupe.

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Vital Weekly (by Frans de Waard, September 15, 2009)

Back in Vital Weekly 495 I reviewed Flatline Skyline's debut album 'Horizon Grid'. Flatline Skyline are R. Andrew Scott and Jacen Kemp and back then it seemed to me a cross-over between IDM, gothic and noise. Atmospheric songs in which vocals play a big role. The new album 'All Sound/No Vision' continues this. The mood is again dark, rhythm are loud, aggressive, demanding (whatever you may think is appropriate) and Kemp's voice sound like Marc Almond, although screaming in 'Sleep Tight' reminding me of Last Few Days. It has also moments of contemplation and introspection, such as in 'Aperture', but those pieces are sparse, but provide that necessary counterpoint. In that sense this album is a much more varied than 'Horizon Grid' and this variety is what makes this album very good. Perhaps not the sort of music I'd play a lot I guess, but this one is really nice.

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Gothtronic (by Fabian, September 20, 2009)

Flatline Skyline are back after four years. At least, that is when I checked them up, because I hadn't heard of them before I got their new release. I checked some of the reviews of their debut records Horizon Grid, which was also released on Mechanoise Labs, and was very well received. Some stating it had a clinical IDM sound with little variation and a somewhat apathetic singer and songwriting approach.

Well, this new album sounds very different then, as it encompasses a wide variety of genres to create a potpourri of different styles really. It also sound very different from what Mechanoise Labs usually releases more experimental noise, ambient and power electronics. Well, it might not be all that weird, since this release is highly experimental. What this record does is bringing noise, IDM, emo, angstpop and soundscapes to a somewhat surreal and consistent whole. One of the highlight of this album is Fox Fight, which has a rather experimental structure, but because of the vocal delivery of the lead singer it also turns partially into a kind of emo pop song. Don't be afraid, because it's a really good song! Other interesting songs are No Dial Tone which has some nice efficient melodies between experimental structures. The song is completed with some nice vocals en lyrics. The ending of the song turns into harsh noise as a kind of catharsis. Other Dreams is more IDM oriented and uses some retro sounds. Be Good To Them Always is almost a clubby song with its rhythm and nice melodies. This is a very nice song! ...And The Moon Swam Back is a more quiet and serene song with some sweet melodies, though it definitely has a dark touch to it. One Secret is more a dark industrial soundscape with some distorted and echoed vocals.

This album is a total pleasure to listen to. It's highly adventurous, which might put some people off. Each song is never one genre particularly, but a combination of styles. Think of Haus Arafna went emo and went shopping in the avant-garde corner. That does not cover it completely, but you get the idea. A very, very good album which turns into something else every few seconds or so. A must own!

The release is completed in an efficiently but nicely designed digisleeve that also contains a booklet with the lyrics.

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Guts of Darkness (by Wotzenknecht, October 09, 2009)

'Horizon Grid' était comme une nuit sous cellophane dans une ruine urbaine ; 'All sound / No Vision' est la journée sans soleil, la lumière grise d'un automne pollué sur des blocs suburbains ; pas de vision nous dit-on ? Qu'à cela ne tienne, le son sera matière et son nom sera béton. Le béton attaqué, malmené ; la matière sonore rèche, brute, lourde faisant ploir les structures métalliques apparentes et incapables de soutenir le poids des mots et de la saturation. Ce nouvel album sonne comme le négatif du précédent, explicite, exogène, toutes griffes dehors sans renier le moindre du monde sa nature noire, pesante et fantômatique. Cela peut faire beaucoup pour un seul album mais ca n'est pas de trop pour Flatline Skyline qui entre sans aucune honte dans la cour des grands ; qu'il s'agisse de manger dans les râteliers de Picore, Hint ou autres noiseux made in France en les remuant avec des sonorités made in US (H.P.P., SavaK, ZymOsiZ) dans une grande bétonnière //préparation : compresser la pâte jusqu'à atteindre la densité d'une sculpture de César et l'apposer sur des mailles pop// mais oui, la basse de 'Other Dream' est terrible, 'Fox Fight' est mélodique et dansable, le doublé 'Death by eyes/...And the Moon swam back' est d'une douceur presque funèbre ; il y a une émotion immense et manifeste sous ces couches de déraillements, de dissonances, de rythmiques électroniques distordues ; sous couvert d'ambient expérimental, d'improvisations bruitistes ou d'explosion de bruit blanc, Flatline Skyline n'écrit rien d'autre que des chansons autour d'une poétique lunaire et lunatique, de voix erratiques et de cris du coeur. Nul doute que la materia prima est originale ; le fond lui est totalement, terriblement, inexorablement humain. “Un cerveau dans un corps cybernétique... Une puce dans un corps organique... Au fond, quelle différence ?”

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