IAN WILLIAMS
Slow Motion Apocalypse
(Slaughterback Records)
Ian Williams is a bit of a revelation. I was familiar with his previous act 'Beautiful Pea Green Boat' who existed back in Ye Olde Days (which you will know as the '80s) but this is quite a step forward from then, as you'd expect. He is most definitely a composer these days and a bloody good one too.
'Slow Motion Apocalypse' takes on an environmental theme, with the anger Ian feels at mankind's willful self-destruction charging every note. He describes his music on this as "a rant, a protest against the beige-ness of the current vogue for music as a tranquilliser for the masses. This is not music to meditate to and it doesn’t provide a safe space for the expression of warm and fuzzy feelings."
He is not exaggerating either, but that might lead you to imagine this is another shouty punk record, or a beat-you-over-the-head industrial dirge. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is clever, and beautiful, and inspiring soundtrack music for the inevitable catastrophe the world has its head firmly planted in the sand waiting for. It's not gloomy, or doomy, or anything else ending with 'oomy' though.
Slow Motion Apocalypse is crafted with an artists eye for effect, it's both huge and mesmerising, bubbling and pulsating, but also unsettling when it needs to be. I cranked this up really loud just to see what would happen (and to be honest, my sleepy neighbourhood needed waking up a bit too) and it sounded even better. 'Dragster' is epic, but I'm not going to start listing tracks now as that won't mean a fig to you until you buy this.
Suffice to say Ian is a master at his craft and if there is any justice in the world, someone will snap him up pronto for film soundtrack work. The tragedy is that there is just so much crap out there that it will be a challenge for him to rise above the crowd and grab the attention that 'Slow Motion Apocalypse' so clearly merits.
The other tragedy (yes, there is more than one) is that this will make absolutely no difference to the self-immolation of the human race, but as he says "we might as well enjoy the dying light at the end of the world - what else can we do?"
We could certainly do a lot worse than go out on a high with this playing as the soundtrack.
Essential information
Slow Motion Apocalypse is released on 27th October on Slaughterback Records
Order Slow Motion Apocalypse from Bandcamp, here
