PowerNap - ''One & Two" [cassette EP] Review
Power Nap“One and Two”
Grunge Records
Toronto, Ontario
::web/sounds:: https://soundcloud.com/debrispop/power-nap-one-and-two-side-a , https://soundcloud.com/debrispop/power-nap-one-and-two-side-b also
“One and Two” is the side project debut cassette release from Powernap, also known as Bradley Davis from Toronto's kraut-rock outfit Fresh Snow (http://freshsnow.bandcamp.com/). Parallels in his work can be noted in the way he likes to weave electrifying rhythms together until they sound like haunting chants, usually over a constant beat. The similarities stop there, as Davis engages us on a tour through something darker and more cerebral, accentuated by his exploration with drones and synths. “One and Two” has the feel of an auditory tour through a David Lynch film due to its constant transitions, loops, and foray of sound samples.
''One'' begins with the steady chime of a gong. The echo carries into its next chime. A rhythm builds, slowly replaced by ambience that forms a melody ( Ottawa's iconic doom metal band Buried Inside's “Chronoclast” (https://buriedinside.bandcamp.com/) comes to mind). As momentum builds, both digital and instrumental layers are added. “Two” has a more sinister feel. Davis includes more guitar, at one point accompanied by a brief verse that he sings himself. Albeit a sweet moment in the transition of the song, it holds bittersweet menace, like the seconds after a horrific murder scene in a horror movie. Davis' technique goes beyond simply adding and subtracting layers for added variety, opting for multi-instrumental and multi-dimensional soundscapes instead.
Format: cassette
Published on weirdcanada.com
