In contrast to his debut »Dust March«, the musician Bandshell – whose identity remains coated in anonymity – moves away from his unconditional lust for sound-aesthetics with his second record. Last year’s 12inch existed on a vacuum in sound, in which beats were curved around like they were slalom poles made of metal. And that was it – nothing but space, rhythm and sound. At least on the a-side. It remains their secret how the tracks were still imbued with a complex kind of musicality. Bandshell seemed to have guessed that it will be hard to build up a diverse and big repertoire on such a limited range of sounds. Hence, »Caustic View« is more about melody. The only problem is that melodies are something Bandshell isn’t that good at. The varnish is just too thick for the metallic framework of rhythms. Of all tracks, »Perc« – which was used by Hessle Audio founder Ben UFO for his last Fabriclive-mix – is his most standardized and exchangeable, hence most disappointing track. However, the b-side picks up last year’s best moments. Melodies are less formulated, are more an idea than a result, which makes them become a part of the corset of groove – and that suits both tracks really well. It’s especially the reticent track »Nice Mullet«, swinging between standstill and departure, which turns out to be the secret hit of the 12inch.
Caustic View
