I was heretofore unfamiliar with Skeleton
Beach, and I am remedying that hosscrap as I type this. The Knoxville-based
producer, who goes by Gene Priest at the grocery store, is a big fan of old
horror movies, analog synthesizers, and analog synthesizer scores of old horror
movies. So me and Gene would probably get along just fine – I’m known to drop a
“cosmic” or “far-out” psychedelic masterpiece, preferably one that scores a
thriller, into my tape deck every now and then. This time, though, it seems as
though old Gene has listened to a bit of Aphex Twin, a dab of Squarepusher, a
smidge of Autechre before sitting behind his gear and cranking out The Inevitable Death of Language, which,
perhaps unsurprisingly, contains no language. Well, maybe the universal
language – mathematics. Probably some love too. Maybe not though.
I say “this time” even though I’m a n00b, but
hey, you gotta start somewhere. And OMG – The
Inevitable Death of Language is such a good place to start! LOL, SMH, YOLO,
Skeleton Beach creates pristine electronic environments here, all indebted to
the synthtastic reels he’s watching in his head, the ones Inevitable Death is providing the soundtrack for. And honestly, by
immersing yourself in this one, you’ll be able to see them too – no more clunky
LED screens or internet-enabled phones, you just let your brain do the work for
you. Or the LSD in your brain, which surely enhances these magnificent brain
movies. I am not taking LSD, nor am I condoning it, but tense psychedelic beatscapes
are Mr. Priest’s forte, and honestly, I’m in a zone here. Now I have to go back
and sift through the rest of the discography. I have a feeling I’m going to
have a blast.
https://iamskeletonbeach.bandcamp.com/
https://orbtapes.bandcamp.com/
--Ryan