aaamusic | On 13, Nov 2011

Remember never to judge a book by its cover, or indeed by its name. Baron Bane may sound like they should play screaming dance-tronica, but in actual fact the enigmatically-named ‘Lpto’ is much, much closer to Aphex Twin, The Album Leaf, or a sedate versio of Trent Reznor’s quadruple-part instrumental ‘Ghosts’, in its expansive sound and lush melodies.

 

‘Reconstruction’ is a perfect introduction to the band, with its gentle synth/keyboard interplay all wrapped around live drums and guitars to create a pleasant midpoint between organic and electronic the suits the peaceful mood. ‘Love.Cure.All’ adds some processed yet recognisable and tuneful female vocals, like a more electro Cocteau Twins in their multi-tracked ethereal sound. The instrumentation is pretty similar to before, albeit with slightly ‘busier’ melodies that offset the subtle rock-ish drums and shoegaze style vocals. The last quarter of the track suddenly bursts into a visceral sound, but refrains from aggression, as everything becomes louder and faster with a burst of cymbals, but the mix keeps it all very low-key. ‘Echoes’ too contains that same drive and sense of volume without ever actually getting loud, despite synth overdrives and a heady bassline that offsets the vocals nicely, with a rather lovely pop chorus.

Single track ‘Orchids’ has a keyboard intro somewhere between a chilled house track and the intro to Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s ‘East Hastings’. The vocals add a dash of dark pop to the blend and by the time the track fully asserts itself, we’re handed a chorus of Kate Bush surrounded by pulsating snyths, bookended by moments reminiscent of The Creatures’ more electronic outings in its electronic gothic opulence. ‘Transience’ is another more lively track that sparks a dragging latter half into life with its overdriven guitar and crisp drum sound leading into a fairy-like chorus.

But this, as you may have guessed by now, may be dark but is by no means goth. ‘Sordid Eyes’ is more artsy pop than anything, gloomy and uplifting at the same time, with lyrics that feel like an entire train of thought that is rewarding to follow. ‘My Slow World’ even sounds like the theme tune to an anime show, with its girlish vocals, sentimental lyrics and reliance on keyboards. ‘Your Words’ then, with its sombre string synths and sense of closure and maturity could be the closing credits.

Some tracks become soporific, like the ambling ‘Midthing’, and others like ‘And The Flare Will Spark’ feel a little anodyne, sterilised by the production and mix job that seem to cap the band’s sound at around the 3 mark in terms of power and volume for everything all at once, so there’s not always a lot of texture in Baron Bane, which is a shame, as they are the kind of band that need texture to add further complexity and intrigue to their sound.

 

All in all, Baron Bane have a tantalising mix of ambient electro-pop that might not be quite striking enough to merit repeated listens, but as a occasional background music is lovely and they will no doubt be invited onto every soundtrack written in 2012, and not without good reason.

 

Katie H-Halinski