Patternclear - Slowdown download mp3 flac

PATTERNCLEAR combines PHIL CLARKE (ex- of STRESS & known for his solo recordings) with PETE BECKER of the newly reformed EYELESS IN GAZA) along with a few friends (MARTIN of ATTRITION; LIZ of EYELESS IN GAZA) who help out here & there.
Side one opens with "Burnout (Payback Time)" which uses LIZ S's voice to combined with what I'm pretty certain is a quote from "Predator" over a fast & energetic piece of EBM - something which could appear on ANTLER-SUBWAY without seeming out of place, it's adrenaline drive kicks up sparks & dust. "Hammamet" is a fairly changeable little instrumental, moving from minimal JOHN CARPENTERisms, through the "Terminator" theme to a more full, bashing & quick-paced Eastern-tinted piece, again with a certain punchy dance feel to it. Deliberately or not, the end has a drop-out on some of the sounds, although others pop in and out - perhaps an experimental piece of mixing - very odd if so. "Dreamscape" is familiar from the previous demo tapes sent out - a mild, medium-paced instrumental which reminds me a little of a cross between "Riders On The Storm" & a VANGELIS "Blade Runner" sound. "Inertia (Six-Seven)" is a faster, tight little EBM piece - not hard & heavy - I'd compare it to the lighter material from CLOCK DVA's "Buried Dreams" only it lacks even that darkness (I feel that the 'found' movie snatches have a similar atmosphere). There's a piece in this which might just be a quote from Blade Runner (Phil is not beyond quoting RUTGER HAUER - he's done it before). A gentle break midway explores another direction before jumping back onto the rails again, its BPM fast but not breakneck. "Too Many People" is another familiar piece from the previous demos - opening with a warm combo of violin-like synth against thumping bassline blends with chimes into a slightly trancy piece full of interesting sounds. PHIL CLARKE has learned his lesson re: his voice, here using it through subtle treatments & only adding it minimally, it has a fitting thin-ness - a deeper, more resonant voice wouldn't sit as well in a filigree frame like this. "Stormwing" closes side 'A' - an instrumental which grown slowly like a more moody-but-thin DEPECHE MODE piece with the beat taken away, or perhaps a mere recent OMD piece. It grows into an impressive mood piece with drums which almost sound slowed-down in it's ponderous prominade.

The 'B' side opens with "Pipistrelle", a slow rhythmic piece using their combination of semi-deep atmospherics with wire-thin keyboard sounds. It has a sound of dark texture (velvet?) over which is set sliver-thin shards of sound - at piercing as any bat's cry. "Yokohama" dawns with washes of drifting white noise, distant bells & fragmented sounds, turning into a catchy little piece with, yes, a degree of Japanese atmosphere, yet it doesn't hang itself on any cliche'd images - indeed the horn- like central sound has a slightly distorted, gnarled feel to it, giving it a slightly wild, unhoned finish. "The Time Before" rises up on found operatic voices, becoming another slow, graceful instrumental piece. As with most PATTERNCLEAR tracks, the lead keyboard voices are piano & chimes, here blended with harmonic voice chords, and held within, a sound somewhere between a birdsong & a snatch from the theme to BBC's "One Man And His Dog" . "Waiting In the Wings" is again a familiar piece from the demo. It's a medium-fast-paced instrumental which has drive, a decent tune & is effective for it's unashamed sinplicity. "Breathe" uses breathy synth sounds - some deep & booming, some like audio-fog, creating a slow dramatic rhythm with them through which grows another medium-paced, catchy dance piece from the mild end of BPM. Never overstated, it changes, building patterns, adding images, growing in warmth. "Promised Land" is a darker piece again bringing DEPECHE MODE to mind - a medium-slow pace gives it a slightly moody feel, serpentine sequencer & whispered vocals (interesting words) make this the most edgy track on the entire album.

PHIL & PETE have got it right here - time to move to a mere permanent medium - indeed, I feel this album could stand up well on vinyl or CD.

Originally reviewed for Soft Watch.