Doldrums
The Air Conditioned Nightmare (Sub Pop)
Born out of the same Montreal creative-warehouse scene that brought us Grimes, Blue Hawaii and Majical Cloudz, Doldrums have returned with the follow up to their 2013 debut Lesser Evil.
Lead by Airick Woodhead, The Air Conditioned Nightmare is named after Henry Miller’s 1945 collection of essays of the same name. While Miller’s main focus are his own ruminations of his homeland after being an American expat for 10 years, Woodhead explores his own breakout from the cushy scene that spawned him, into a fully self-realized artist fueled by dystopian fears and paranoia.
Doldrums’ DIY approach to electronic music remains. There are no glitzy, iced-out beats here, just sheer sonic tension. In a press release, Woodhead says that anxiety is his default state, and “Hotfoot” is a manifestation of that. It pounds, throbs and swirls like the earlier works of Nine Inch Nails. “Video Hostage” has Woodhead singing with Thom-Yorke-like abandon over shoegaze synthesizers and calmer rhythms. On album closer “Closer 2 U”, he asks, “How can I be nostalgic for something I never had?”, giving the Miller-twist on his own yearning for a world that has completely abandoned him in its own implosion.
Doldrums continue to manage a beautiful balance between frustration and freedom on Nightmare, one that may very well become its legacy.
Rating: ★★★★
