Anatoly Grinberg & Mark Spybey – Dust Forbids The Bird To Sing (Album – Ant-Zen)
Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, experimental.
Format: Digital.
Background/Info: One year after their first collaborative album “123 m” Russian artist Anatoly Grinberg (Tokee, Massaith ao) joined hands again with British icon Mark Spybey (Dead Voices On Air, Download ao) for a new sonic voyage.
Content: This new opus features 7 tracks and moves on the cinematographic approach of “123 m”. Globally speaking this element has been even reinforced by some overwhelming, monstrous sound treatments mixed with dark atmospheres. But other passages will make you dream. There clearly is a duality between anguishing tracks and pure evasion. The second part of the work sounds more ‘free styled’, like artists wanted to exorcise a few more ideas. The tracks are more improvised and just as the previous work remind me of a kind of free-jazz style transposed into a more industrial format. I also noticed a kind of childish melodic loop running through another track while the final cut of the album has something pretty disturbing.
+ + + : This album is more sophisticated than its predecessor. At one side the cinematic approach has been seriously elaborated revealing an impressive opener (cf. “Gospel Primitives”), but on the other side there also is more space for experimentation. I can’t say “Into The Black Silence Melt” is my favorite cut, but the kind of improvisation makes me think of free-jazz music. But this song is a truly interesting experiment. I prefer the last cut of the work (cf. “The Wren’s Bone”), which moves back into darkness creating some internal fright due to the disturbing sequences.
– – – : “The Ost” is the single track that left me unmoved because of its childish melodic loop, which rapidly irritated me.
Conclusion: Both artists have renewed their collaborative efforts and definitely appear to be very complementary.
Best songs: “Gospel Primitives”, “Langeland”, “The Wren’s Bone”.
Rate: (7).
Artists: www.facebook.com/AGMS2020 /www.facebook.com/TokeePaindonor / www.facebook.com/mark.spybey.3
Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official
About Anatoly Grinberg & Mark Spybey
Anatoly Grinberg is a Moscow-based composer and mastering engineer also known as Tokee, co-founder of Unguided Tactical Sounds Corp. and co-owner of DOPE Records. “123 m” (2019, Ant-Zen) was his first full collaborative album with Dead Voices On Air‘s Mark Spybey, a British artist born in 1961 in North Yorkshire, formerly of Zoviet France and of Download alongside Skinny Puppy’s cEvin Key. “Dust Forbids The Bird To Sing” is their second album together, again released via Ant-Zen.
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