Funny story: Last.fm cannot deal with the artist name Specimens. It just doesn’t understand. I’m not kidding — check it out yourself. “Specimen” is as far as it’ll go. The artist “Specimens” literally doesn’t exist on the website. This was the case when the London-based artist dropped his first album, and it hasn’t changed with his second one, titled In The Dust Of Idols, announced just recently.
Anyway, the music, eh? I mean, it’s good. It’s real good. If the haunting and dense first single “The Unread Library” is anything to go by, this album — “exploring mortality, existentialism & the dread one can feel in the face of an apparently meaningless world” — will be a real treat for fans of slightly unnerving ambient music. Cellist Charlotte de Burgh-Holder is enlisted for the opener to provide a sonic backbone; her cello is ever-present, layered, and manipulated (sometimes beyond recognition). While I mostly find cellos quite warm and welcoming, here it feels chilly and distant, almost unapproachable. The effect is really something, especially if you immerse yourself in the piece for the full 9 minutes and 10 seconds.
Check the track below. The full thing drops November 30 via both First Terrace Records and SVS Records. There will be pretty vinyl too, so cop a copy (ha ha) before they all go.
More about: Charlotte de Burgh-Holder, Specimens
