Review: KURO - KURO

KURO, on paper at least, sound like a most unlikely pairing: Gareth Turner from psychedelic noiseniks Big Naturals & Anthroprophh, and Agathe Max, a Lyon born classically trained violinist with the gift of creating some ethereal and beautiful soundscapes. However, coming together as KURO for their debut album, soon to be released by Rocket Recordings, this duo have produced something unique and darkly beautiful. Expertly recorded by Joe Garcia, the album....well...as Max explains (via the Bandcamp page) “We wanted to create a journey for the listeners, to create an inner cinema with emotional landscapes, old time cults and stories of lost sailors”. A small note - this review is of the 6 tracks found on the CD / digital version....the vinyl is comprised of 4 tracks.

'Arashi' opens with the same plaintive strings heard on some the best Godspeed You! Black Emperor material and almost immediately you are transported to an unearthly place. Beneath Max's violin rumbles a subterranean drone that adds a real depth and only serves to heighten the almost melancholic vibe. 'The Heirophant' is a most apt title...the combination of Max's violin and Turner's manipulation of sound could be the musical expression of some esoteric ritual, calling and transporting adherents to a place nearer their chosen deity...it has an inherent mysticism that cannot fail to move even the hardened music lover....deep and exceptionally beautiful. 'Ishtar' is the longest track at over twenty minutes and opens with some oscillating drone, joined by more mournful violin and the deep, resonating bass of Turner. The atmosphere and emotions that this produces are intense...it stops you in your tracks and almost forces you to listen, you can't but help to immerse yourself fully into the lush instrumentation and fall into a reverie of soundscapes and imagination..this is powerful stuff, maybe not in the same sense as Turner's Big Naturals (that sounds wrong!)...the crushing riffs and noise are absent but somehow has the same 'sturm und drang'....it is an exaltation of life and experience. As 'Ishtar' progresses the bass and drones intensify but never drown out the exquisite violin...jaw-droppingly good. 'Incantation In C' is built on drones and rich swathes of sound and has the depth and substance of some of Lustmord's cavernous dark ambient material. The drones intensify as the track progresses, laying the foundations for the introduction of the dissonant, strident violin. Things reach a glorious crescendo before falling, like Icarus, back to earth...spellbinding. 'Shanghai'd', despite its title, has a Slavic folklore feel about it, the lugubrious violin and drone create an atmosphere of pensive sadness; a doleful lament that tugs at the heartstrings and leaves the listener with unanswered existential questions. 'Song For The Mysticeti' rounds off the album with a Melville-like paean to the titular cetaceans...the whale noises that run through the track, accompanied by more sublime violin and lush drones give it a meditative feel and a blissful tranquility. Unlike Ahab's single-minded thoughts on destruction, the track is an reverential exultation. Musically there are flashes of Berlin school electronica and more delicate ambience in which to travel.

To 'categorise' this album is both pointless and somehow disrespectful....it is just KURO! Between them Turner and Max have created an album of beauty, depth and poignancy that keeps on giving...repeated listenings reap different and equally rewarding returns. In a year that has seen so many fantastic albums 'KURO' still stands out as one of the best. It is a sublimely beautiful and intense experience...I can't put it any simpler than that. The album will be released on vinyl, CD and download, all available from the Rocket Recordings Bandcamp page here from 14th November, although pre-orders are up.