Two years ago, for his record »Order Of Noise«, Vessel deconstructed electronic music in order to create cored techno-abstractions from its ingredients. Now, for its predecessor, he has chosen a different, an analogue approach. On »Punish, Honey«, he used metallic objects as drums and made his own instruments, like a flute from a bike frame. This time, the producer from Bristol drew his inspiration from the industrial music from the 1980s. Hence, what came out is neither less experimental nor more human than the first mentioned record. »Punish, Honey« almost sounds like a musical reflection of the metal-fetishism in Shinya Tsukamoto’s »Tetsuo«-films it’s tinny, worn out, rusty and mechanical. What keeps this acoustic metal-construction together is Sebastian Gainsborough’s striking feel for composition and song structures, as well as his melodic approach, which always sounds a bit off. »Euoi« expands through – borderline melodic – organ sounds, peeling their way out of a ponderously stamping drum frame. »Anima«’s synth-loop and its rolling rhythm are built towards a depressingly beautiful climax. And the arrangement of »Drowned In Water & Light« reminds us of the coy elegance of Forest Swords his label-colleague at Tri Angle. In contrast to Raime‘s similarly depressing »Quarter Turns Over A Living Line« here, the listener always gets the feeling that the noise-elements are not there for the sheer sake of noisiness, but that they are aiming for a clear musical goal. All in all, »Punish, Honey« is a difficult record. However, if you accept the challenge, it can become a complex and – partially – satisfactory listening experience.
Punish, Honey
