NNF is pretty consistent with their artistic output, especially in the last two years or so.Everything they release is sure to be quite inventive, unique, and visually stimulating.When I received this little gold tape a few weeks ago, I wasn't really sure what to expect.The album begins with a song called 'Meadow Dusk', a slow moving, synthesizer-powered escalator up into the black void.Isla Craig's deeply soothing, lush vocal passages soar above the twirling electro pulses, with a range that seems to be kind of never ending.She holds her notes out for a lengthy stretch at times, and uses a bit of a nice, controlled flutter when she want to.Some of these melodies are absolutely stunning.Things tend to drift into more various new and old waves from the last two decades or so, and subtly thump and beep away, just below her beautiful voice patterns.The duo also like to dip into more soft synths and acoustic bouts, if only for a few seconds.Wolfgang Nessel's seemingly unlimited source of electronic warble and keyboard interplay runs rampant throughout these songs, not necessarily keeping time, nor a steady pace, leaving the vocals to glue everything together.
I'd be lying if is said there aren't parts of this that are reminiscent of Lover's Rock era Sade swooning, a bit of Mum's trickling miniature melodies, or Broadcast's more ethereal moments on the recent Focus Group collaboration.But, The Deeep are indeed on their own wave, pulling from plenty of unique influences, but none of them are painfully clear, and it makes for an interesting and mysterious listen, to say the least.Compelling stuff.A fantastic debut.Watch for them in 2011.
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