Gizeh founder, Richard Knox, can be found credited on a fair number of the label’s releases. it’s perhaps not entirely surprising that the label’s releases have a distinctive style, both musically and visually.
On the face of things, Knox’s latest project, Shield Patterns, slots in precisely with the label’s and his own work to date. Consisting of Knox and singer Claire Brentnall, it would be easy to see Sheild Patterns following the template of Glissando, his long-time outlet with Elly May Irvine. But while Brentnall does possess a haunting voice and the compositions are sparse and atmospheric, the two couldn’t be much more different in many other respects.
The deep, resonant bass and percussion, so low as to be almost subterranean, and so heavily drenched in reverb that’s beyond cavernous gives an immediate impact to ‘Shade’, the first track on Shield Patterns’ debut long player. Claire Brentnall’s vocals glide and soar, at once delicate and confident, intimate but assured, across strong, stark rhythms. The scale of the production is epic, bringing an astounding depth to the songs, which are built on immense washes of sound. The structures are hazy, and the songs drift, smoke-like.
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‘The devil is in the detail,’ Brentnall sings, breathily, amidst a tidal wave of crashing cymbals on ‘Carve the Dirt’. It would be impossible to ignore the obvious Kate Bush comparisons, not in only the quality of Claire’s voice but her style of singing, but Shield Patterns’ music is altogether darker, and Zola Jesus also makes for a fair reference point, particularly on the delicate ‘Ruby Red.’ The industrial beats of ‘Present State’ pierce the heavy atmosphere, the grating electronica abrasive against the senses. The final track, ‘Charon’, brings discordant, dysfunctional jazz to the party, broadening further to sonic palette from which Shield Patterns draw.
Shield Patterns Online
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