Tremendous was the first adjective that came to my mind when listening to »Ask The Dust« for the very first time. But there’s something else, too. His third album is not as raw anymore. The sound-force of HipHop-beats, industrial and techno has gained something, well, graceful. With Lorn’s album it is as if a steamroller is sweeping away little metal plate houses, but its actually driven by delicate little ferries. At first, you don’t see the fragile figures in the driver’s cab – the steam roller is just too impressive. On »Ask The Dust«, the roller is represented by the drums, which often sound as if a whip snaps on sand. The steam roller is also the crackling bass lines and the echoing synths. That way, an edgy and dark sound facade is being constructed; if you don’t see it as an obstacle, but rather as something fascinating, you’ll be able to see the bright spots that keep showing up behind the facade. The fact that Lorn has started to use his own voice only adds to this concept. But also minimal shifts in the synths’ frequencies or passages without any drums at all, help to open up the almost brute structures. The highlight of the record, »Diamonds«, is the best example for that approach: it’s a wild ride through the netherworld ending at a surrealistically light place. The driving strings, the wailing sirens and the brutal bass: it’s one of the most prepossessing songs I’ve heard in 2012. Not all the tracks on the record have that kind of quality; but still, it’s Lorn’s best album nonetheless.
Ask The Dust
