Ben Frost - A U R O R A (Japan Edition) (2014)

Reykjavik-based Ben Frost hasn't released any solo material since 2009's By The Throat and we weren't surprised when the infamous Mute imprint announced that they'd be releasing his next full-length work. Both the label and the artist share a deeply experimental stance, and one which is just impossible to pin down. Very much in this vein, Aurora is a tense and chilling collage of diverse sounds and sinister quasi-melodies, starting from the opener "Flex", which sets the scene for what quickly unravels into an all-out cyclone of sonics. This is certainly an LP which should be digested from start to finish, but there are arguably some stand-out moments throughout. The jittering bric-a-brac of percussion that is "Secant" cannot be overlooked, and neither can the brooding kick-shots of "Venter". The ethnic noise infusions of "Sola Fide" and "A Single Point Of Blinding Light" are also particularly rich in experimental gorgeousness.