Hollydrift - Waiting for the Tiller

Where others in the dark ambient scene are influenced by Hammer House of Horror, Hollydrift, a US dark ambient outfit, appear to take their cues from Plan 9 From Outer Space and American sci-fi B movies of the fifties. Not that Waiting for the Tiller is kitsch, Hollydrift has an underlying sense of unease that could easily appeal to afficiondos of Cold Meat Industry, and those with an interest in Schloss Tegal. It's an interesting amalgamation of electronics and found sound created into little audio stories, where little is given away and there's very little to latch onto. The only beats are the pulse of electronic receptors and signals. The music is subtle and experimental, Mathias Anderson has a keen ear for blending electronics with found sound. 'Lakeshore Skycue' opens to the sound of crickets in a farm field, before the onset of electronic bleeps that graduallly blend with slow-paced ambient swirl. Electronic generators resonate on 'From An Old Horizon' at they blend with the slowed down strains of hushed voices in an unnerving manner. Crakling textures and controlled explosions can be found on 'Defense West of Town' alongside intermittent sounds of processed data. 'Dark Is Only Hours Away' is blustering atmospheric noise with short blasts of fifties schmaltz attempting to pierce the airwaves. The music is somewhat distant as if being beamed in from another planet. Layers of processed sounds and static drone can be found throughout Waiting for the Tiller but it gives little away. Even the sleeve notes and cover portray a time when life was simpler. On the cover a young girl plays happily on a swing, inside a child's trike appears discarded. It's precisely this perceived happiness that makes Waiting for the Tiller all the more sinister. For more information go to www.parasomnicrecords.com