Dan Barrett has spent most of his career traversing the darker side of the alternative spectrum. Having created sloppy, unpolished emo-punk with In Pieces, experimental shoegaze with Have A Nice Life, and utterly depressing acoustic work as Giles Corey, Black Wing takes Barrett’s experimental capabilities into the realm of electronica.
Is Doomed once again displays Barrett’s knack for tying together emotional tracks, interesting structures and lo-fi production to great effect. However, he pushes his talents a step further, making his first proper and surprisingly refined foray into the electronic realm. Barrett still makes use of his guitar, which bleeds into the deep bass and droning noise sections of songs such as Luther, Unemployed and If I Let Him In – arguably the three strongest tracks on the album. These sinister moments are cleverly offset by the application of wet synths. Songs begin brooding like a thunderstorm, only to be drizzled with upbeat synths. The end result is depressing songs that still sound positive, at least partially.
The synths Barrett uses won’t stand up to most professional techno artists, but his shtick has always involved taking a lo-fi approach to recordings. The first Have A Nice Life record was completed on a thousand dollar budget and he runs a record label actively promoting bedroom recording as an alternative to the larger industry.
As the album progresses, it’s hard to shake the idea of what Is Doomed might’ve sounded like with a larger budget behind it, but it still shines without the enhancement of immaculate production. It’s an emotive and powerful journey, unfurling amazing, provocative songs one after another. The grand finale, If I Let Him In, might be Barrett’s best work to date – a bass pounding, drum hooked triumph sweeping up the ashes of another strong release.
BY THOMAS BRAND
