Strie - Sleptis (CD)

This week we got a couple 'o tasty releases on the super reliable Soundscaping label. Based in Oslo they are knowledge gatherers. I always, always trust a label which releases a handful of things a year. They don't rush releases, they don't try and cram as many down your neck as possible (though I appreciate labels have to make a living!). But the ones who release 2-3 things a year are nearly always good. They take their time over each release and everything about it done perfectly. Soundscaping is one of those labels. They released one album in 2008 (Christophe Bailieau) and a Celer CD earlier this year. Sleptis by Strie is a curious album. It's packaged in one of their lovely oversized packages with the usual striking imagery. The music is all over the shop. There are Machinefabriek-esque tracks with weird frequencies and unnerving drones. There's tracks with loads of strange noises in, clattering beats and strong atmospherics. Many of the tracks here have melodies bursting out from underneath the darkness. There's an eerie feel to the album which isn't too opressive. It's the right side of eerie for me. Very slight jazz elements in there lurking, lots of synthetic strings (which is the only bit I'm not so keen on), electronics, mad unhinged piano, creaky doors and a general cinematic feel to it. It's a really interesting record and one that gets thumbs up from me!