Written by Marilù Ciabattoni
Discovered via Musosoup
Dystopic and mysterious, POINT3NINE’s latest EP The iLLEST reminds me of another album I recently reviewed on Lost in the Manor (you can find my review of Left To Our Own Devices by Bloomfield Machine here).
The project is composed of traditional-sounding instrumentals (driven by a guitar, bass and drum ensemble) with the addition of recordings that seem to be references to indie movies and TV series, kind of like the intro of Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses. Featuring 13 medium-length songs, The iLLEST is the perfect album to breeze by.
“Vita Est Morte Est Vita” surprised me because it takes the same words as Melanie Martinez’s whispered intro in her song “DEATH” which makes me wonder where this expression comes from in the first place.
“GT” features a more aggressive electric guitar which sounds like it’s trying to speak to you, while the enigmatic “3:33am (part 4)” features chill guitar harmonies and recordings related to the world of the police like alarms.
The title track features a sound that reminds me of a fire alarm and voices that might be coming from a horror movie. After a very chill and uneventful track like “ill street,” the percussions pick up again with “The Machine,” though not too much.
“3:33am (part 5),” probably a reprise to the previous track but without the police-related sounds; the title makes us understand that the story narrated in this concept album is probably happening at night. “Diamond Street” features more aggressive and distorted beats, which make us feel like we’re in a Blade Runner movie, wandering in a solitary land characterized by dunes and sand.
“He Shot the Sheriff” might represent the first plot twist of the album, and it features very thematic gun sounds and people shouting through radio recorders. Some guitar riffs and arpeggios remind me of the psychedelic flavour of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, especially towards the end of The iLLEST, as the same mysterious voice we heard throughout admits, “The truth is nowhere to be seen.”
Discovered via https://app.musosoup.com #sustainablecurator