Bleep

Given that Manchester’s Modern Love label has been dominated by dark and brooding releases from the likes of Demdike Stare and Andy Stott throughout its history, the arrival of Leyland Kirby, who has issued seminal recordings as The Caretaker and V/Vm, seems more than appropriate. If track ‘Where Are Our Monsters Now, Where Are Our Friends?’ is anything to go by, Kirby, here operating as The Stranger, has channelled the poignant hiss and nostalgia of previous releases into something more foreboding. Huge synth drones sound as if they have been recorded and re-recorded in huge acoustic spaces, building up a dread-inducing layer of sound reminiscent of Raime, particularly when coupled with the kind of dry industrial drums which dominate many of the recordings on the Blackest Ever Black label.