Blanck Mass "The Rig (Prime Video Original Series Soundtrack)" (2023)

The Rig (Prime Video Original Series Soundtrack) (soundtrack)

release date: Jan. 6, 2023

format: digital (33 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]

producer: Blanck Mass

label: Invada Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "The Rig (Main Titles)" - 5. "Flesh Meets Floor" - 8. "Helideck" - 10. "Body, Rejecting" - 14. "Spiderdeck" - 17. "No Fire Without Flare" - 19. "Survivors, Arriving"

Soundtrack album by Blanck Mass (aka Benjamin John Power) following the release of several interesting releases, including his new-found role as official member of Editors and his first album with the band being EBM (Sep. 2022), and his own most recent soundtrack to Sam Collins' documentary about British football legend Paul 'Gazza' Gascoigne released as Gazza (Original Score) (Nov. 2022), which again followed the acclaimed soundtrack Ted K (Original Score) (Mar. 2022), Blanck Mass' musical score to a 2021 Tony Stone historical drama about the so-called 'Unabomber' (the music to the film being released a year later). The most recent studio album credited Blanck Mass is In Ferneaux (Feb. 2021).

"The Rig" is a science fiction thriller television series in 6 episodes created by David Macpherson for Amazon Prime Video directed by John Strickland, and it's the first Amazon Original to be filmed entirely in Scotland. The soundtrack to the series has been issued as a digital album rwith a total running time at more than 72 minutes by Invada Records on its bandcamp profile and as a double vinyl issue.

Normally, soundtracks are a difficult genre - sometimes the animated visuals are a highly missing part, at other times the result is just too varied, and rarely, I think, they work perfectly in their own right, and in this case, it luckily happens to be one of the rare examples. Blanck Mass has made a strong soundtrack that truly makes you want to watch the series - if not only just to experience an audio-visual dimension of this work. Nonetheless, The Rig... is a fine soundtrack.

Editors "EBM" (2022)

EBM

release date: Sep. 22, 2022

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC) (Deluxe)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,85]

producer: Blanck Mass, Justin Lockey, Elliott Williams

label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Heart Attack" (4 / 5) - 2. "Picturesque" - 3. "Karma Climb" - 4. "Kiss" - 6. "Strawberry Lemonade" - 7. "Vibe" - 8. "Educate"

7th studio album by Editors follows 4½ years after Violence (Mar. 2018), an album that lacked some of the coherency they showed on The Weight of Your Love from 2013. Since their sixth album Benjamin John Power has become a new member, and he is heard all over an album that fixates the band on an electronic path. Power is also known as Blank Mass and that's also how he's credited here. The album title thus refering to 'Editors Blanck Mass'. Powers played a vital part on the predecessor but the band didn't find the way to utilise Powers' contributions back then and instead ended up with tracks pointing here and there and with an album that seemed unfocused. One year after the release of Violence Editors released The Blanck Mass Sessions containing the initial recordings by Blanck Mass, which led to the album versions, and those early recordings contain some ideas that were ultimately lost on the final album. You could argue they were stronger electronically-founded, which only reflect how the band had to digest the input from Power before realising that he actually laid out a new musical direction for the band to follow.

With Banck Mass aboard Editors comes out as a revitalised band. They make the songs by Tom Smith work on top of an electronic base that gives room for bass and synths and the result is surprisingly good. Blanck Mass is noticeable all over the album, but together they are in positive synergy.

Undoubtedly, this new electronic style will challenge some of the old post-punk revivalists, and although I really enjoyed their initial albums, I like this new constellation!

[ allmusic.com, Record Collector 4 / 5 stars ]

Blanck Mass "Ted K (Original Score)" (OST) (2022)

Ted K (Original Score) (soundtrack)

release date: Mar. 18, 2022

format: digital (19 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]

producer: Blanck Mass

label: Sacred Bones Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Montana (Main Theme)" - 5. "Revenge" - 7. "Greyhound"

Soundtrack album by Blanck Mass following the release of the live album Mind Killer (May 2021, transmissioned Apr. 2020 during the COVID19-lockdown) and the studio album In Ferneaux (Feb. 2021). The album (issued via the label's bandcamp profile) shares title with the Tony Scott film about the actual Unabomber (sic) Ted Kaczynski, and it's the second full-length soundtrack album credited Blanck Mass, who first scored Nick Rowland’s acclaimed Calm With Horses (OST) from 2020.

The soundtrack here is yet another fascinating work by Benjamin John Power, who simply seems to continously expand musical barriers whenever he produces a new album - be it as solo artist, as new central member of alt. rock act Editors, or when setting the tone for a full-length feature film. The album doesn't provide us with a long list of single hits, but works as a whole. Blanck Mass displays a nice balance of various intense sensations between good and evil - there's always an underlying current of something intruiging, something luring, and various amounts of... desperation.

Ted K (Original Score) works nicely on its own terms and only makes you interested in seing Tony Scott's film.

Recommended.

Blanck Mass "In Ferneaux" (2021)

In Ferneaux

release date: Feb. 26, 2021

format: digital (2 x File, FLAC - SBR267digital)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]

producer: Blanck Mass

label: Sacred Bones - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Phase I" - 2. "Phase II" - 3. "Starstuff (Single Edit)" (bonus track)

5th studio album by one-man project Blanck Mass follows 1½ years after Animated Violence Mild (Aug. 2019) (the album is released on bandcamp).

Compared to all other albums credited Blanck Mass this one is of another construct, so to say. All other previous albums contain various different compositions - most of which are of 'normal' running times going from 2 to 10 minutes, however, this contains two tracks only that basically are one composition split in two to fit traditional vinyl releases. "Phase I" has a running time just above 21 minutes and the "Phase II" a running time just below 20 minutes, but when played as digital files it's clear they appear seamless parts of the same composition - the digital album comes with a third 'bonus track': "Starstuff (Single edit)", which in essence is an edited outtake of the first part of "Phase I".

Musically, this has turned out as more complex, with greater variation, which implies both ambient moments, and bits of almost extreme white noise - and everything in between.

My initial verdict had me think of In Ferneaux ['Inferno'] as a step back and to what could sound like a minor work, but after having played it over several times, I kinda like the result, although, it's still a complex and somewhat experimental release that also bridges his more progressive work released under the moniker Fuck Buttons together with Andrew Hung and that of his solo music as Blanck Mass. In some ways because this is both more ambient and experimental in the way Fuck Buttons has styled their albums, and to some extent more upfront and 'hard', and yet, progressive bits, here and there, could point to inspiration in early techno days.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, 👍Pitchfork 7 / 10 stars ]

Blanck Mass "Animated Violence Mild" (2019)

Animated Violence Mild

release date: Aug. 16, 2019

format: digital (8 x Files, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]

producer: Blanck Mass

label: Sacred Bones - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Death Drop" - 3. "House vs. House" - 4 . "Hush Money" - 8. "Wings of Hate"

4th studio album by Blanck Mass (aka Benjamin John Power) is the follow-up to World Eater (2017), although more recently the artist has been engaged in collaborating on the 2018 album Violence by Editors, which was released in an alternative version as The Blanck Mass Sessions (Apr. 2019).

Animated Violence Mild continues where the 2017 album ended, and in many regards it's like a new chapter to that. Here and there Power introduces something that sound like melody-lines, which could reflect inspiration from his work with the alternative rock band Editors - to me, this only adds a new dimension to his predominant industrial electronica.

[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, NME 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,9 /10 stars ]

Editors "The Blanck Mass Sessions" (2019)

The Blanck Mass Sessions

release date: Apr. 13, 2019

format: digital (8 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: Blanck Mass, Editors

label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Barricades" - 2. "Cold" - 3. "Hallelujah (So Low)" - 4. "Violence"

Editors album is bassically the first draft recordings by Blanck Mass, which led to the album Violence (Mar. 2018). The band had wanted a stronger electronic / industrial take on their music and invited Blanck Mass (aka Benjamin John Power) to add something to their new recordings. The result is heard here, but to the band, they were slightly rearranged with less electronic and industrial dominance, and those recordings were released as Violence. However, the initial recordings had their very own strengths, so one year following the actual album release the initial sessions by Blanck Mass were released. And frankly, they are just better and more originally sounding.

Blanck Mass "World Eater" (2017)

World Eater
release date: Mar. 3, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Blanck Mass
label: Sacred Bones Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Rhesus Negative" (4 / 5) - 3. "Please" - 4. "The Rat" - 5. "Silent Treatment" - 7. "Hive Mind"

3rd full studio album release by the one-man project Blanck Mass, aka Benjamin John Power (from the duo Fuck Buttons).
Stylistically, this is instrumental progressive electronic like the music of Fuck Buttons where Power gets together with Andrew Hung, but that's still rather different from this as World Eater has a much stronger industrial style and perhaps tends to be more expansive in terms of exploring other stylistic grounds.
The album was generally met by positive reviews ending up on many album top lists of the year, and I can see why. Power blends styles and elements so originally that it's really a treat to listen to. It's like a bliss and it's right in your face - it's an experience where you never know where it'll lead you but the journey is exhilarating. Yes, it has drone elements, it has synthpop bits and pieces, like ordinary pop compositions, and it's very aggressive and dark hinting at post-rock and hard rock in its industrial outfit. So, yes, it's really a conglomerate of styles and genres and all in all a truly fine and well-composed album.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Needledrop 3,5 / 5, Sputnikmusic 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Fuck Buttons "Tarot Sport" (2009)

Tarot Sport
release date: Oct. 20, 2009
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Andrew Weatherall
label: ATP Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Surf Solar" - 3. "The Lisbon Maru" - 4. "Olympians" - 6. "Space Mountain" - 7. "Flight of the Feathered Serpent"

2nd studio album by the electronic duo-project Fuck Buttons by Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power [Blanck Mass] follows 1½ year after a promising start with Street Horrrsing (Mar. 2008).

Tarot Sport is like the predecessor instrumental progressive electronica but where the debut had a link to post-rock, this one goes bolder electronic, passing from drone to progressive and then adding elements from minimal techno and glitch pop.

Tarot Sport was met by positive reviews, thus ending up on many music magazines' top-10 lists of albums of the year.

Although, it wasn't an immediate favourite of mine, I find it much more than just ordinary and with something extra to offer. For one thing, the album appears more of an original whole than their debut, which both appeared as a fine experiment but also felt bonded to familiar inspirational sources. Tarot Sport, on the other hand, comes out even more experimental, displaying some quite interesting beats and sounds, which almost takes it into the dance arena, and then there's an industrial tone lurking as a backbone on all tracks. You could aply most of that for the debut, but where that appeared like a experiment pointing in various directions, this one appears more as a coherent work with a founding sound. It's quite spacious but also quite strict in its soundscape, which would nearly be too blatant as a soundtrack for a movie about transportation in space.

The album has proved to be a certified grower. At first I found it so-so - thinking: possibly above 3 - then, uhm, yeah... not bad, actually! - reevaluating: clearly above 3,3 to 3,5-ish - and then one day I found myself listening to it at pretty high volume driving alone in my car on a motorway, while thinking: Now, how could I miss how good this is?! It's definitely quite spectacular isn't?! I really like the bolder use of drum beats, and one day I may eventually hand it a 4.

[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, NME, Q Magazine, Uncut, Mojo 4 / 5, Spin 3 / 5 stars ]

Fuck Buttons "Street Horrrsing" (2008)

Street Horrrsing [debut]

release date: Mar. 17. 2008

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: John Cummings

label: ATP Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Sweet Love for Planet Earth" - 2. "Ribs Out" - 5. "Bright Tomorrow" - 6. "Colours Move"

Studio album debut by British electronic duo Fuck Buttons consisting of Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power, the latter also synonymous with the acclaimed solo-project Blanck Mass initiated 2011. Apparently, the two got together as early as 2004 when Hung was into Aphex Twin whereas Power was a fan of Mogwai - the album is produced by founding member of Mogwai, John Cummings - and that basically explains much of the duo's starting point, although, the album here reveal a new aspect of their music, which initially was about... noise.

The founding denominator on Street Horrrsing is the electronic progressive element, although both members may be said to be grounded in instrumental experimental electronica.

The album both seems inspired by the aforementioned artists but is really anything but merely a copy. The drone element is everywhere and the compositions are often built on a structure of simple, repetitive patterns that either transforms slowly or abrupt. On all compositions the duo play with harmony and chaos. There's always some soothing melody line, here and there, and at the same time, there's noise, or: a bleak darkness underneath that keeps you alert. It's definitely an album for listeners, and if you don't find it appealing at first, you may give it a second chance.

[ allmusic.com, Uncut 4 / 5, Pitchfork 8,6 / 10, 👎Spin 3 / 5 stars ]