Horror Inc.’s first full length feature takes the listener on a journey which takes a number of different twists and turns. You will encounter eerie piano strokes reminiscent of an old horror movie and an unsettling and suspenseful atmosphere throughout parts of the piece. To provide relief from the suspense, there are beautiful lush strings and guitars throughout the record, while micro-samples and punchy bass lines keep the music rolling along.
If you aren’t familiar with Horror Inc., this is the name of one of the projects from Canadian producer, Marc Leclair. Marc has released sparingly under the Horror Inc. guise (3 EPs) but is more well known for his work under the name Akufen. Fans of Akufen will not be disappointed with this release as it has many elements of his signature glitchy, microhouse sound but with much more emotion and warmth.
Out now on Perlon, Briefly Eternal features 10 tracks which take the listener through a number of different emotions. Overall there is a dark tone throughout the record but there are moments reminiscent of the sun peeking through dark clouds to provide the listener with a warm and fuzzy feeling. There are a number of live instruments used (or very well sampled live instruments) such as acoustic and electric guitars, piano and string sections. The listener is spoilt with the various different textures and melodies throughout the record.
Personal highlights include ‘Dans La Nuit‘, which even has a jazzy influence towards the end of the track. ‘The Absent’ makes great use of finger-picked acoustic guitar with suspenseful chords hanging over a groovy baseline – quite a unique combination. ‘Remembrance’ is more of a homage to Leclair’s work as Akufen with glitchy samples making it hard not to tap along while listening.
Not a traditional dance record, Briefly Eternal will be enjoyed by music lovers in general. This is a exquisite combination of sounds which form to make something that is quite unique.
Reviewed by Marcus Holder
