Ōhinehou sonic artist Admiral Drowsy returns with an impressive sophomore LP in the form of ‘Industrial Consistency,’ out through Melted Ice Cream.
While 2021’s debut ‘The Gutter Boy Spectates’ could be considered a modern folk album with trimmings of textured soundscapes, ‘Industrial Consistency’ leans harder toward that experimental world of droning ambience and post rock – particularly evident in the sweeping, washed-out guitar chords of album opener River Hymn and overlaid samples of spoken word in the Talk Talk-esque The Great Repeat. This focusing of direction turns Luke Redfern Scott, recording under the moniker of Admiral Drowsy, from a singer/songwriter-type to a sonic experimentalist, in a move akin to the shift from ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ to ‘The White Album’ (brushing over ‘Magical Mystery Tour’).
It’s evident that Admiral Drowsy serves as an avenue for Scott to wear his heart, and his influences, well and truly on his sleeve. ON! has a similar drive to a core element of Dimmer’s sound and a Gorillaz vibe (particularly in the synth lines), and the imperative Salute The King sounds as though it could have been lifted straight out of Radiohead’s ‘Kid A’ / ‘Amnesiac’ sessions. There’s also a classic character to the music, reminiscent of the psych-folk movement of early ‘70s Britain, perhaps unsurprising given Scott is a British ex-pat. Take this psych-folk catalogue, hand it over to Brian Eno around his ‘Music for Airports’ era, and employ him to produce something post-psych-folk, and none would bat an eyelid were that endeavour to result in ‘Industrial Consistency’.
The album blooms and withers in cycles, threatening to swallow the listener like a wave about to break overhead. There are numerous facets laid throughout that quietly call out from side-of-stage, wholly enhancing Scott’s poignant, lyrical vocals. Scott’s poetry (it’s definitely poetry) is brilliantly evocative and thought-provoking, touching on social issues in a Bob Dylan spirit. Blend this with an avant-garde sense of exploration and the ordinarily polar approach of pop song structure, and a vague outline of genre for ‘Industrial Consistency’ begins to take shape.
It’s refreshing to hear new music that isn’t derivative of its influences, and that doesn’t feel the need to fit in or whittle itself into three-and-a-half minute pop bangers, wholly forgotten tomorrow. With ‘Industrial Consistency,’ Scott and his co-producer Ryan ‘Fisherman’ Chin achieve what it feels as though they set out to achieve, delivering a stirring and brilliant follow-up to the well-received ‘The Gutter Boy Spectates’ in the form of an artful exploration of modern society and culture.
