Album Review
Album Title - Dirk (or “The Telex Retrospective Tapes”
Artist - Autumna
Label - Self Release
Release No. N/A
Release Date - TBC
Having already released one of my favourite albums of the year “Secret Radio” on Werra Foxma Records. I have been looking forward to hearing more and with someone as prolific as Emile it hasn’t taken long to get further releases of what is becoming a signature sound. When I was given the opportunity to review “Dirk” I didn’t hesitate. So, let’s get into this…
Track 1 - Zijnpijn
We are greeted with the signature Autumna dark drones which sets the feel for the track. Haunting melodies join them to great effect to great an almost ethereal sound of a haunting choir. They sit far enough back in the mix to create a huge sense of space. This track made me feel like I was in a vast open space but a thick fog blocks your view all around. You know it’s going to clear but you just don’t know when. Lovely opener!
Track 2 - van vlees (lyrics)
Haunting voice like synths, distant drums crashing are what make this track. The disjointed vocal samples are mixed in with that distinct choral build up in the distance. This track sounds big! There’s so much space but it would fill and devour the biggest spaces possible. This is currently my favourite track.
Track 3 - ongeloof
This track gives me the feeling of being submersed in water being pushed deeper and deeper but your mind hearing voices of love ones and friends wanting you to come back. Footsteps in the distance change the dynamic of the song to bring you back within a room. It gives me a sense of bewilderment! Am I in a lake? Am I in a bath in a large old house? That echoes to the sound of distant drones? As I write this I’m still not 100% sure!
Track 4 - zwart water
The opening to this track brings the light and an uplifting feel compared to the darker tracks that proceeded . Vibrating synths sit atop of a lovely choral chord progression. I definitely feel a sense of warmth and serenity in this track.
Track 5 - Zijnpijn (weltschmerz edit)
This is a rework of the opening track of the EP. Softly spoken words hang in the background as a old kilter drum pattern leads the track in a whole different direction that it’s base track did. There is much more light in this track and it’s like the fog has lifted and all you can see are the fields and the trees! This is my favourite track on the album and one I have found myself listening to pretty much twice a day since I first hear it. Lovely stuff!
Track 6 - ongeloof (days of disbelief edit)
Haunting vocal lines and a lovely drum beat take me back to tracks on “Secret Radio” and this edit of one of the previous tracks has everything you’d expect from that album. There is an air of mystery around this track that I can’t quite put my finger on but it’s a fitting track to end the EP.
I had chatted with Emile about this album and I said there was a strong sense of dark and light within many of the tracks and that was something he was looking at. I feel he’s pulled this off perfectly and has taken that trademark Autumna sound to another level.
broken music for happy people. "Lost in worlds filled with melancholia and memories of summer sunbeams, often dark but always with a soft s
