Disorganism - Unschooled

 Released: December 17

Unschooled is an album that manages to walk a thin line between disjointed madness and thematic coherence without falling to deeply into either trap. The composition method is a rather interesting blend of found sounds, field recordings, semi-melodic loops, and vocal clips that meld together in various manners throughout the runtime of the album. A particular standout in these compositions is the use of said vocal clips, which range from eerie and spacious pieces of spoken word to twisted and shifted pieces of voices that repeat out of context phrase. “You, Child” stands out in this manner with a voice that begins as sounding something like “you shall not..” but never clearly finishes the thought as the voices distorts and falls into gravelly weirdness while the lurid and slurred soundscape surrounding it continues on somewhat uncomfortably. 

But for all the moments of off-kilter discomfort, there’s also moments that are less disjointed like what can be heard on “Battle at Tipping Point.” This track begins with subtle atmospherics intermittently interrupted by electronic gurgles but slowly increases in intensity as as spooky rise gives way to a rhythm resembling a war drum. The intensity and clarity of the beat is a stark contrast to the less than concrete tone of the ambient atmospherics the track began with. Later on, there’s also the spacey ambient surge of “Exit Wound,” a track that forgoes any rhythm in favor of elegiac synths and subtly altered field recordings. There’s no big crescendo with this one, just a meandering sonic exploration in grayscale tones. 

The seemingly random combinations of sound scattered throughout the album give the sense that no two tracks are meant to be anywhere near alike. It stays on theme, giving wild varieties while maintaining that sense of mad cohesion that keeps it all together. It’s not necessarily a beautiful album, but it is immensely engaging and forces one to really listen in closely to hear the rich layers that await.