Condors was the first (and to date only) official release by Nedry, and was re-released in 2010 on Monotreme Records after an initial short run in 2009. The trio, who formed in 2008, is made up of two guys and one girl, who throughout Condors created an intriguing, original and unusual mixture of post-rock, dubstep, post-dubstep and electronica, using guitars, laptops, voices and synths. They have had their work compared to the likes of Bjork, Burial, Battles and The XX, which should give you a clear idea of the kind of complex, diverse music Nedry have created with Condors.
Condors is an interesting, pretty, and often dark album, ruled by glitchy textures and oppressive synth timbres. The album is effectively a plethora of these diverse synth sounds, woven together in a way that is rich, dense, and deeply convoluted, with a wide variety of complex effects that really penetrate the listener mentally and physically. The synth sounds included are clearly of laptop origin – many timbres have a stark, digital coldness and preciseness that could only have been made with 0s and 1s. Synth is typically the predominant instrument throughout the album, but there are no post-modern allusions to new wave – this is music that is thoroughly modern and grounded in the progress of the present.
Guitars also occur throughout this record, and whilst they often remain subdued their presence and input is fairly prolific, and twist the album into being indie-dubstep instead of harbouring a more traditional dubstep vibe. Timbres are unobtrusive, soft and rounded, varying from the almost classical guitar style found in ‘Apples and Pears’, to the more post-rock, Battles influenced track ‘Scattered’, with its screeching, relentless, dissonant chords. There is some paper-thin percussion and some bass parts too, but they are mostly synth derived, with warped, muddy, resonating sounds which fill the album with a subtle degree of menace.
One of the most interesting, and simple elements of Condors however is the marvellously unnerving vocals of Ayu Okakita. The beauty in Okakita’s voice is subtle and girlish, and from her wistful and breathy style to her haunting, banshee-like wailing, she demonstrates a true emotional context. The weary, sombre and measured style of her vocals is clearly reminiscent of Bjork’s work, and as exciting as the music is Okakita’s voice ground the album in more emotional terms, and stops the music for degenerating to far into the realms of pure synth experimentation.
The general vibe of the album is dubstep timbres mixed with post-dubstep ambiance. The clash of throbbing, surging, tense dubstep punches with the cooler, detached beauty of post-dubstep has created a very diverse album – at times it is overwhelming and frenzied, at others delicate and soothing. Furthermore, Condors manages this feat easily, switching approaches with swiftness and ingenuity. The album is varied, fresh and interesting, and most importantly displays some fantastic music.
See this at the Guardian online at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/album/481d6878-6c21-4afd-b22c-9c26b578c5e7?commentpage=last#end-of-comments
