VVVLLLLVVV by SHXCXCHCXSH

SHXCXCHCXSH offer an excellent follow up to AVN007 with VVVLLLLVVV.

The hollowed out kicks on title track VVVLLLLVVV invite a curious relationship with the dance floor. Present but cushioned, they drive the track but at the same time shy away from inviting too much focus. Thus, the remaining elements - a square wave sequence, rising strings and various driven percussive hits, are given more than enough space to move. The effect is - like much of SHXCXCHCXSH’s best work, to invite a sense of the ethereal and transcendental. For music that on first listen might appear gloriously maximal - it’s considered stuff.

MRRRWRRRDS, the first of two B sides is more straightforward and reminiscent of Regis & Function’s work as Sandwell District. Half time and stepping, streams of crushed noise course across a bed of thunderous kick drums while far away bleep sequences pulse deep in the sonic hinterland. Closing piece MRRRCHNNNN touches on the Swedish duo’s penchant for the explicitly obtuse, and the title’s tentative reference to the word “machine” sheds some light on the end game here.

While borderlining the loupe of impractical terms, such as techno or avantgarde, the Swedish duo has for the past decade built a reputation for their sonic finess rather than clear dramaturgy. Away from idolatry and escapism their music embodies a primitive urge to be alive.