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Ash Code
Oblivion
Swiss Dark Nights
A new
gem coming from Italy, and released on the label Swiss Dark Nights,
also the home of Geometric Vision with whom similarities are obvious,
Oblivion
is Ash Code’s first album. Behind the name Ash Code, Alessandro and
Claudia, two youngsters with a clear talent in writing and playing
catchy dark tunes. After
a short spoken atmospheric intro giving solemnity -“Void”-
(noticeable that Geometric Vision used the same kind of intro on
Dream, and
I’ll stop with G▼
now), the band starts with a first killer track. “Waves with no
shore” is a first impression of what the album is made of:
Danceable drum machine beats, deep basslines and evolving synths
melodies. All that topped with the cavernous vocals of Alessandro,
very dramatic and peculiar in that they are somewhere between sung
and spoken.
As you have guessed all that synth-bass-drum machine make
it all sound very old school. “Dry Your Eyes” is for me the best
song on the album. Previously released on 7”, it’s a relentless
bass covered with a basic yet extremely effective synth hook and
makes you feel like you’ve known this song forever from the first
listen. So danceable all DJ’s should include it in their set. With
“Crucified”, the album moves up a gear. The band certainly knows
how to create a distinctive atmosphere, and all the panting and
screaming, together with the frantic pace of the drum machine bring
to mind a car chase from an 80’s horror-movie. Next track is
“Oblivion”. Close your eyes and you’re back at your parents’
house in ’86, and this is the soundtrack to your first scary movie,
the one you sneaked out of bed to watch on VHS.
On the
second half of the album, haunted synths and unstoppable drum loop
make of “Unnecessary Songs” another dancefloor filler, full of
noises and effects. Follow “Empty Room” and “Drama” (with
female vocals), slightly less dark but not less interesting. Probably
the most drama-filled song on Oblivion,
“Want” brings out the big guns: distorted guitars, frantic beat,
and a nerve-racking synth hook. The perfect climax song before the
traditional laid back epilogue, “North Bahnhof”, its melancholic
atmosphere, hypnotic beat and oppressive effect.
Oblivion
is just the beginning of Ash Code, and I am sure there is a lot more
good to come from this band. Darkwave with hints of synthpop, catchy
and tormented. Thanks for this first release and thanks also to Swiss
Dark Nights for keeping the underground alive and bringing such cool
music to the dark souls!
> by Guillaume
Renard
