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(Merck/Couchblip)
Chicago’s Proswell has an Atari fetish that’s seen him exploring similar territory to Australia’s New Pollutants (in instrumental mode!) and The Calculators; solid 8-bit electronics. While his first record on Merck represented the results of several years of work (like so many debuts), this album sees a more coherent and alive feel.
The title track is underground, electronic funk that sits comfortably alongside the work of Herbert and co. The beats ride up on each other in a tracky maddening way, while disembodied samples punctuate the rhythm. Pretty piano keys sound like they’ve just stepped out of a Salsoul disco tune in contrast to the off kilter beat of the track.
Elsewhere, electronics pulse heavily through your speakers (probably best played from your computer speakers actually), but this time the video game nostalgia is pared back and there are moments where the cheeky drum programming and quirky sounds are quite uplifting. The melancholy melodies and almost claustrophobic layering remain though, and it’s certainly no novelty act.
Proswell has a knack for off kilter repetitive grooves that combine the harsh barren sound of industrial with an almost instinctive knack for rhythm and mood, meaning that Carrot Dossier’s rough edges are well balanced by deeply moving ambient soundscapes.
