IEOGM - object misnomers

 Released: April 7

Returning to label Molt Fluid after a several year absence, the duo of IEOGM (Marie Vermont & The Concept Horse) bring a new album consisting of two-long form formless compositions. The instrumentation consists of a collection of bells, mallets, modular synthesis and some rather creative mixing at play. With these instruments, the duo pushes them to extremes, resulting in an incredibly dynamic interplay of sounds that clunk, plink, wobble, and crash in seemingly uncertain iterations. 

A crucial piece of this album is the atmosphere surrounding the instruments. The space it is set in feels subtly jilted as if it were not a real room but is capable of convincing you that it somehow is. The abstract space stays rather calm for much of the first half, sporadically breaking into loud clanging mess for but a moment before calming back down. There’s a certain distorted depth to the mallets throughout as they pong about, creating a feeling of being underwater, except the liquid in which you are submerged is somehow lighter than water. The modular synthesis makes minimal appearance in the first half, reserving its energy for the second half in the form swirling pongs and long scrapes. It works quite well as the atmosphere shifts slightly into something a bit more metallic and cold. 

The entire experience of object misnomers should be taken in one go. The continuity of it all with a but a brief pause between the two sides is absolutely perfect and the subtle morphing of the unreal room adds another layer of complexity to this sonic exploration. The contrasting warm and cold textures create a lovely bit of dissonance, the instruments are sparing but the composition is complex, and it sits amazingly well in this perfect valley between calming and disquieting.