This split is the meeting of pure minds. Zalhietzli, a sound
experimentalist from Angers, France, dabbles in “drone, noise, ambient, indus
& various sound maniuplations using mainly effects pedals, samples and tape
collages.” Proud/Father, on the other hand, hails from pretty much my backyard,
Gainsville, Florida (I don’t live in Gainsville, though), and sounds like a
Creed cover band. I kid, I kid! Isn’t Creed from Gainsville, though? If you
think I’m gonna fact-check that, you’re out of your mind. No, Proud/Father is
the synthy, droney – dare I say shoegazey? – yang to Zalhietzli’s yin. Or is it
vice versa, and Proud/Father’s the yin? I have no intention of researching that
either. You’re just going to have to live with it.
Zalhietzli’s side consists of two lengthy slabs of noise totaling
twenty-five minutes, and to say those minutes are filled with dread is an
understatement, and only probably because of what I’m reading into them. The
titles are easily translated, so I don’t have to look those up either (sense a
trend?): “Nadir, la source” and “Sacre.” The first obviously suggests the
central locus from which all chaos and disharmony springs, surging into waiting
eardrums to bring listeners to their lowest point. Menacing! “Sacre” means
“sacred,” like when you say “Sacre bleu!” you’re saying “sacred blue!” Come to
think of it, I have no idea why that’s even a thing – it literally doesn’t make
sense. I bet a quick Google search will tell me the answer. Guess what I’m not
gonna do though.
Proud/Father’s side is much more approachable for the newbie, as the
synth compositions wash over the listener, enveloping and consuming in equal
measure. You’re part of it, it’s part of you, and there’s no way to release yourself
from its powerful gravity. The six tracks on this side are shorter, more
digestible, and range from fifty-one seconds to 5:24. The intersection of noise
and shoegaze is the perfect entry point for the stylistically adventurous who
have only listened to Creed before now, as the tones and moods are much more
forgiving and land in a far more comfortable sonic range. Wait, no, you need to
be further along than Creed to listen to this. You need to at least have made
it as far as “indie rock,” I think, before diving in any further.
Anyway, there’s a lot to like here on both sides, and it’s a real
smorgasbord depending on your mindset, which may even switch halfway through,
in which case you’re super golden with this tape. It’s also got some neat
packaging – all handmade, Xeroxed artwork, “tape packaged in an unfolding
envelope on 240g colored paper.” Looks super slick. No computers.
--Ryan Masteller
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