One of the most terrifying scenes in all of modern cinema comes from Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror classic, Alien. Sigourney Weaver’s character, Ripley, is attacked by the Nostromo’s android science officer, Ash, portrayed by Ian Holm. In the ensuing conflict, Ripley decapitates the android, proceeding to connect the dismembered robot to a power source for a chilling final conversation. The audience watches in horror as the humanoid robot reveals that the human crew is and always was expendable, and expresses a deep sense of admiration for the xenomorph terrorizing the humans. Ash calls the Alien “A perfect organism, its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility […], I admire its purity.”
This scene elicits terror through its use of the Uncanny Valley hypothesis, whereby human interaction with a nearly human robotic entity produces a response characterized by revulsion and fear.
It’s fitting then, that James Kent (Perturbator), who has consistently dabled in themes closely tied to the rise of robotics and android technology, chose The Uncanny Valley as the title for his new record. Since the release of I Am The Night in late 2012, Kent has painted a grim portrait of a technologically dominated future, evoking and espousing staple themes of the cyberpunk genre.
Just like its predecessors, The Uncanny Valley is a mostly terrifying journey through a nightmarish world, which as far as I can tell, picks up after the War Against the Machines referenced on 2014’s Dangerous Days. The loosely crafted narrative and evocative atmosphere is immediate and engaging, and should appeal to anyone who loved the edgy dark synthwave sound that Kent has honed to excellence. In addition to the classic 4-on-the-floor bangers that Kent has been laying down for the last 4 years, there’s a good deal of experimentation on this album, mostly to serve the narrative and themes.
A good example of this would be the track “Femme Fatale,” which serves as the first source of respite from the driving trio of opening tracks here. On tgis track, the sonic palette shifts to the organic, using jazzy drum samples and stand-up bass to accompany the synths. The vibe is one of neo-noir and mystery, and brings to the forefront one of Kent’s great strengths; namely, crafting sounds, melodies and atmospheres that are highly evocative of retro science fiction, transporting the listener directly into his dystopic vision. Other songs with bold instrumental choices include the fast-paced “Disco Inferno,” which features 70’s style wah-wah guitar sounds and pipe organs to complement the main instrumentals.
Additional vocals are very welcome on this record, this time on 3 tracks, two of which feature the vocal as the central focus. “Venger,” featuring Greta Link, is a fast-paced and hooky cut, while “Sentient,” featuring previous collaborator Hayley Stewart of Dead Astronauts is a slower and more organic number. Both of these tracks are great additions that seek to break the instrumental monotony and feature great performances from both vocalists.
“Souls at Zero,” and “The Uncanny Valley,” close out the record, and together take up over 13 minutes of the record’s nearly 70-minute runtime. The atmospheric aspects of the record take center stage on the perfectly named “Souls at Zero” (featuring Astronoid), where the listener finds themselves drenched in acid rain at the threshold of the Black Church, awaiting the final confrontation. The record closes out strong with “The Uncanny Valley,” whose soaring melodies and ponderous interludes provide closure to the record in a satisfying fashion.
I have a few – mostly subjective – criticisms to level against this record. Firstly, I’m just not so much a fan of the more standard, 4-on-the-floor cuts that occupy space on this album. There are a few tracks, such as album opener “Neo-Tokyo,” and mid-album filler “She Moves Like a Knife,” that seem to be communicating similar ideas. I would prefer if the “high speed car chase” quota was filled by more sonically interesting and aggressive tracks like the excellent “Diabolus Ex Machina” or “Assault”. My second criticism ties back to the first, in that a 70-minute electronic record is just a shade too long, and unifying the motifs and vibes throughout the record would be welcome on the next Perturbator release.
That said, Perturbator is chiefly about atmosphere and how the music makes you feel. It’s about soundscapes that evoke smokey, dreary, neon-sanitized city streets. It’s about a cinematic approach to electronic music composition that’s refreshing amongst the pervasive rave culture of EDM. It’s about reverence of a bygone era when the machines that shape so much of our daily lives were in their infancy, and the science fiction of that time portrayed a profound sense of distrust in a future ruled by technology. In these multiple facets, The Uncanny Valley absolutely succeeds. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to watch Blade Runner.
