Frost, Ben / A U R O R A
Album: A U R O R A   Collection:General
Artist:Frost, Ben   Added:May 2014
Label:Mute Records  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2014-05-30 Pull Date: 2014-08-01 Charts: Classical/Experimental
Week Ending: Jun 15 Jun 8 Jun 1
Airplays: 1 2 1

Recent Airplay
1. Jun 19, 2014: stringless balloon
Sola Fide, No Sorrowing
4. Jun 03, 2014: Meow
Fuck It: I Put It On Continuous.
2. Jun 11, 2014: minimum entropy
Venter
5. May 30, 2014: A Visit From Drum
Venter, Nolan
3. Jun 06, 2014: A Visit From Drum (Best of 2014)
Venter

Album Review
DJ Muscat
Reviewed 2014-05-29
Genre: electronic, noise, tectonic plates, volcanoes, experimental

Australian composer/producer Ben Frost has run the gamut from creating film scores to releasing studio albums to collaborating with the likes of demigod Tim Hecker (on "Virgins", and Hecker lends some additional production on this album to return the favor). Frost's pedigree certainly shows on "Aurora". This is massive, breathtaking experimental that consumes everything in its path. Think you don't like electronic music? Well this isn't some cut and paste garageband techno. "Aurora" is a living, undulating, beast of a record. Essential listening. Favorites: 2, 4, 6, 8, 9. No FCCs.

Others: Tim Hecker, Fuck Buttons, Swans, Raime, Haxan Cloak

1. (2:50) ** Distant ambient textures. Steady bass hits cut through. Super cinematic and ominous.
2. (6:47) *** Gargantuan pounding drums and bright synths. Settles down into a pulsing groove. Builds back up into another sonic onslaught. A writhing, insatiable track. Last 2 minutes almost became dance-y (emphasis on "almost"). Transitions into next.
3. (3:12) Industrial hissing and subtle background textures. Becomes super minimal (nearly silent). Sets up a massive amount of tension for track 4.
4. (4:55) *** Fantastic percussion accompanied by horror movie atmospheres. Transitions to bare percussion before launching into an explosive synth laser light show. Transitions immediately into the next track.
5. (1:31) Gentle synth comedown before quickly escalating into a huge assault of noise/synth/drums/everything. Super insane for such a short track.
6. (6:45) **** Pounding tribal percussion. Occasional quiet high pitched squeals. Bells emerge through the fog. One of the most patient tracks on the album but also one of the most rewarding. Last ~40 seconds becomes deep drone.
7. (4:27) ** Ambient hum. Sounds like a vacuum powering up. Really gorgeous, more sedate track.
8. (6:27) *** Crackling opening that turns into a very Hecker-esque soundscape (except with drums). Progresses into noisier territory.
9. (3:17) *** Low sparse drum hits and tormented synths. Turns into a ferocious storm.

Track Listing
1. Flex   5. Diphenyl Oxalate
2. Nolan   6. Venter
3. The Teeth Behind Kisses   7. No Sorrowing
4. Secant   8. Sola Fide
  9. A Single Point Of Blinding Light