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LP
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ALT 043LP
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Southend-on-Sea experimental outfit Liberez deliver Way Through Vulnerability, the end result of a year-and-a-half long recording process, an amorphous new line up, and advanced studies in sound collage. On Way Through Vulnerability new members Reay, Saunders, and Ugarteburu channel the projects previous outings on Alter and Night School by conveying the same firm grounding in rhythm, though this time via flamenco time signatures and eerie, repetitive clapping. At times sounding indebted to the "tribal ambient" of decades gone by, at times sounding fresh in their approach ("Here Is The Proof" is of note) the trio manage to export motifs from Italian avant-garde circles, UK industrial, and post-rock all at the same time. The sound design on "Derelict Intentions" makes heavy use of background ambience and bleak, world-weary minimalism to lull us into a false sense of calm before harsh and unexpected blurts of noise break the equilibrium. In doing so they swiftly side-step any preconceptions of "easy listening" and opt instead to drag us deeper down into their own dark waters. At times we almost seem to delve into lost theatre soundtrack territory; fragmented neo-classical elements dance with punchy drum machines ("Cara En La Foto Pt II") and things draw to a close with the end credit worthy swansong of the album's title track. The group repeatedly utilize Basque country language, Hungarian dialect, and ancient Russian to lend their compositions a cross-cultural underpinning and eschew any clear geographic origin, a decision which all but adds to the perplexities of their unique brand of electro-acoustic purgatory.
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CD
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ALT 010CD
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Following up their warmly-received 2011 Alter debut, The Letter (ALT 005LP), Sane Men Surround is the second album to emerge from Southend-on-Sea's Liberez. Like their debut, the nine tracks here continue to savagely EQ percussion, guitar, violin and electronics into abstraction with tracks like "A Warning and My Madness Offends," bearing the industrial and almost ritualistic atmospherics of its predecessor, while "Nema Te" and "What's Mine Is Mine" introduce a new style of composition and songwriting which pushes the group towards a more bombastic, almost post-punk sound. As ominous as it is seductive, Sane Men Surround is a true product of the South-East of England. It is a work of suburban claustrophobia that lurches around Britain's industrial past and glares at its future. It is an album with a brain and a heart, evoking the rumbling lorries of Essex, its scared sober marshlands, and peace-riddled battlegrounds. Previously issued in a limited vinyl edition of 100 copies on the Savory Days label, this CD edition features a different master to suit the format.
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LP
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ALT 005LP
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This is the first album by Liberez, a group formed by recording engineer John Hannon and Pete Wilkins in Southend. The project began life exploring a deconstruction of the traditional "band" form before expanding to a quartet with the addition of vocalist Nina Bosnic, and multi-instrumentalist Tom James Scott. Musically rooted in improvisation, the band sought a progression from the loosely described "noise rock" sound at their inception into more abstract territories. The tracks were recorded as a mixture of sessions at Hannon's studio and external locations where fleeting incidents were captured on crude equipment such as mobile phones and portable cassette recorders. It was a piece of text written by Bosnic that gave birth to the initial concepts that formed the backbone of The Letter, and new ideas with regards to incorporating her voice were then created within the group. Bosnic's vocals on this record bear little resemblance to traditional singing or melody, but instead use the inflection and cadence of speech to play with syntax. The repeated phrases and deconstructed sentences give the record an unusual and disconcerting atmosphere, acting as a sinister bedfellow to the sharp and broken sound of the guitar and heavily treated drums. While these instruments may represent rock 'n' roll, Liberez are content to take influence from the likes of Robert Ashley rather than Chuck Berry. The Letter is a bold first statement from a group who are taking full advantage of what they have at their disposal, and proudly displays the vast frequency bandwidth that they now work within. Limited edition of 300 copies. Vinyl cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates + Mastering, Berlin, March 2011.
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