This is the solo effort of the artist simply known as “M” and claims to be a depressive study of the nature of light – from the restrained flickering of candlelight to the blinding rays of the sun. This isn’t an artist I am familiar with, he has been in no prior bands of note as far as I’m aware and from what I can tell this is the first recording from CBR. Certainly I have to say that the band and album names had me intrigued, painting a picture of something that you can expect to be a little bit out of the ordinary, perhaps a bit on the experimental side and with a definite angle.
The study of light definitely shines through on this album, which incorporates some delicate and uplifting sounds into a black metal framework. ‘Emission’ starts on a wonderfully mellow note, with a massive, warm bass which caresses the eardrums and is layered with fragile, dreamy guitars. In places the drums take on a subtle jazz rhythm as the light begins to surface. The following track ‘Loss’ contrasts the opener with a much harsher sound which breaks out distorted guitars while the bass is still present and vying for your attention. This sounds truly monstrous with the stereo on loud and that low end rumble really rattles the floor – while on many albums the bass practically disappears into the background on this release it sounds massive and really takes a prominent role within the sound.
It’s easy to get drawn in to the slow, reflective passages here. Captivating melodies wash over the underlying sea of ambience, rather like clouds drifting above casting shadows as the glimmers of sunlight break through the cracks, namely on ‘White Light.’ The slow, crushing guitars set quite a depressive tone which is contrasted nicely by the wistful and reflective melodies. The shoegaze influence is very notable here and in places very much presides over all else with some dreamy sequences such as on ‘Radiance’ that sound straight off a My Bloody Valentine album. This album isn’t going to be for everyone – it’s also very much the sort of album that you need to be in the right mood for if you’re going to get the most out of the listening experience, and if you’re feeling mellow and just want to lay back on the couch and let the music help you drift away then this is possibly what you’re looking for.
http://www.myspace.com/coldbodyradiation
