Karhide

Remember Remember

Written by: MN on 03/02/2014 23:16:50

Karhide, aka. Tim Waterfield, has been around since the 90s, composing and producing a plethora of different things for his very own Field Records that usually releases post-rock, math rock and electronica records. Karhide is one of his own projects that has been releasing material consistently and thereby continuously evolving into something refreshingly undefineable apart from the conventional genres. It is clear that Waterfield likes to toy around with a lot of electronic elements, but there is always a sense of melancholic reflectivity and additional passages of an invigorating nature, in other words, something very post-"anything". Previous releases from Karhide have muddled the lines between post-metal and post-rock, 2010's release "Acadia" is a marginally heavier production than subsequent releases, and it contains a certain groove mid-tempo with crunchy chugging guitars. The EP "Rough Sleep" starts to incorporate more electronic twitches to the overall sound, yet where things really start to change is with "Remember Remember", an EP I first had trouble wrapping my mind around, but eventually it grew on me as yet another taster to what Waterfield is conjuring up in his UK-homebase of Southampton.

The title track "Remember Remember" makes strong use of electronic inputs not unlike the robotic and synth-based sounds found in a Dominic Eulberg production. The use of woodwind synths complimented with a deep distorted chug makes for a curious listen, and the positive tone to the album is pleasantly embracing. The song is concluded in a piano passage that alters the mood of the music and queues the next track "Strings Start". This song has an uneasy and dramatic vibe to it and sounding like a soundtrack to a Darren Aronofsky film, the song does not make much use of organic sounds, but still the heavy use of synths contributes to a frightening tonality, definitely one of the more melancholic additions on this EP. "Why" brings back the distortion and continues in an intensified manner, both morose and powerful. To seal the EP, apart from the three remix's of the title track, the song "Case Statement" features some of the best guitar work on the record, and proves ultimately that the instrumentality is solid on this little EP.

As mentioned earlier, I initially was skeptical of Waterfield's concoction of noisy electronica and post-rock, but seeing as I constantly returned to this EP for leisure listening, I must admit that it works. I am looking forward to hearing some more from this British gentleman, hopefully a full length that completely portrays his contemporary expression.

7

Download: Remember Remember, Case Statement
For The Fans Of: Aviation Weather, Valerian Swing
Listen: facebook.com

Release Date 02.12.2013
Field Records

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