Imagine Bjork<\/strong> and\u00a0Tricky\u00a0<\/strong>taking a wrong turn down a poorly lit side street in Berlin’s Kurf\u00fcrstenstrasse and you might be getting somewhere close.<\/p>\n Many of the songs are sparse and unsettling, as if they’ve been written and then all but the bare bones stripped away – with only a skeletal melody to guide you through.<\/p>\n What appears confusing at first becomes increasingly clear with repeated listens as the instrumental breaks fall into place like building blocks.<\/p>\n Bach’s voice knits the whole thing together, sometimes aggressive and confident, sometimes vulnerable and plaintive.<\/p>\n Snaith, the multi-instrumentalist who also goes by the moniker of\u00a0The Inconsistent Jukebox<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, creates brooding sensual soundscapes, painting pictures in your mind’s eye.<\/p>\n A lot is achieved with seemingly very little, a bit of upright bass here, a few piano notes there, a sudden Psycho<\/strong>–<\/em>style injection of discordant strings.<\/p>\n His guitars on Drain You<\/strong><\/em>, for example, sound like blood trickling down a bath tub plughole, while ice cold electronica gives Halo Effect<\/strong><\/em> an air of distant longing.<\/p>\n Standout track Psycho Erotic\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>sees the duo at their most wanton, Snaith’s bestial guitars like a wolf pawing at the floor, while Bach purrs “He gets me all fired up, and hot and hot!”.<\/p>\n Blimey, pass the smelling salts!<\/p>\n Bach’s vocals have an air of Teutonic cool – Dietrich, <\/strong>by way of\u00a0Nico\u00a0<\/strong>and Nina Hagen<\/strong>, if you like, but there’s plenty of fire too and an overt sexuality reminiscent of Lydia Lunch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n There are shades of\u00a0The Birthday Party\u00a0<\/strong>and even\u00a0The Velvet Underground\u00a0<\/strong>in places, but for the most part this is an album that defies comparison.<\/p>\n Album closer Drown<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>sounds like nothing else on the record, an ominous, weird Icelandic-sounding folk chant that builds a sense of dread.<\/p>\n A mini epic Scandi-drama, not unlike the Ave Satani\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>incantation in\u00a0The Omen<\/strong><\/em>, it leaves you in little doubt that something wicked this way comes.<\/p>\n Like arthouse cinema, m1nk won’t be to everyone’s taste, but give this album the attention it deserves and you will be richly rewarded.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/sleeve_m1nk_front_1400_equals.jpg?resize=640%2C648&ssl=1\")
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