Hair Birth
American Dreams, 2020
8/10
A very iconoclastic debut album, Victoria Shen, aka Evicshen, blends a unique vision on this experimental listen where furious synth is unleashed in a calculated. unpredictable environment as dissonant noise is turned into refined art.
“Current Affair” starts the listen with aberrant noises and spacey ideas as the artistic approach to her experimental prowess is immediately striking with unorthodox layers, and “Under The Stall Door” continues this skill with an intimidating and abrasive delivery of swirling sci-fi in its calculated chaos.
Of the quieter moments, “Classical Mechanics” is two minutes of soft buzzing that’s actually soothing, while “Lissajous” sounds like the soundtrack to the apocalypse in another dimension. “Fever Pitch” exits the listen and is one of the best tracks, as it pushes and pulls with precise tension, jagged rhythm and an execution that few, if anyone, could replicate.
Certainly an unclassifiable listen, industrial and art-damaged noise punk are two genres that come to mind, and although Evicshen doesn’t stay in one place very long, her formula is one that both fascinates and perplexes. If you’re lucky enough to snag the LP version of this, it comes with a record jacket that functions as a speaker, which allows you to listen to the music through the cover art.
Travels well with: Subduxtion- The Black Point; VvvV- The Wreck