Efrim Menuck & Kevin Doria - Are SING SINCK, SING (Album Review)

 

Efrim Menuck & Kevin Doria - Are SING SINCK, SING

(2019)


My copy: 2019 press by Constellation.


Efrim Menuck is best known for his post-rock outings with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and A Silver Mount Zion while Kevin Doria is credited mostly with solo electronic experiments. Are SING SINCK, SING combines minimalist, slow building song structures with crunchy digital electronic sounds all accented by Menuck’s vocals.

“Do The Police Embrace?” begins with manipulated vocal humming that harmonizes with synth buzzes. The bass slowly pulses as the vocal mutterings become more melodic, turning into a spiritual chant of sorts. Menuck’s echoed vocals then quietly enter with political lyrical themes, as is fairly typical in his music. The music overflows with drones that both ascend and descend; the whole thing is like the musical equivalent of mixing paints to produce new colors. Ominous bass hits start on “Fight The Good Fight” before high-pitched and warped vocals cry out with hopeful progression, totally shifting the tone. The song builds into an angelic euphoria as lyrical vocals come in though they are pushed back in the mix. It is as if Menuck and Doria are composing hymns for new age electronic geeks. 

The third track introduces cyclical psychedelic synth loops before the vocals enter. The duo repeat the process of building up background drones, but this time everything is wavering and flickering like light passing through swaying trees. Things get boring with “Joy Is On Her Mount And Death Is At Her Side” which is stretched out with oscillating bass tones and spoken word. Near the end a vocal phrase is repeated into oblivion via echoes, which is the only real interesting part. “We Will” is the shortest track, with fading synth strings that loop until Menuck breaks into a soothing falsetto. 

While the outline of this album relies mainly on one trick (building up electronic drones into crescendos) the production, tonality and execution make it a highly underrated release. Musically It’s not quite as on the nose or yawn inducing as some other albums released by Menuck though the lyrics can be a touch obvious at times. The singing can be hit or miss, but it is mostly done tastefully. If they had swapped out the fourth track for something a bit more interesting they’d have a really solid set of songs. Still, Are SING SINCK, SING is definitely a worthwhile listen for fans of ambient/electronic music that focuses on buildup and tension.

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