This first label release by the Vancouver duo Coin Gutter offers a selection of new tracks and remastered highlights from their previous self-released CDRs. This is a peculiar form of experimental electronica that has one foot in the less glitchy ambiences of the Mego roaster (Florian Hecker, Pita) and another in post-industrial drones (think Cranioclast or Maeror Tri). The album begins with Lift With the Knees, almost 37 minutes long. A mood-shifting piece, it rewards repeated attentive listens, but one wonders if it couldn’t have been shortened or at least split into three separate tracks. Its drifting, elongated ideas make a nice contrast though with the seven sharper-focused pieces following it. Among them is Lullaby: a slowed-down voice croons the intro, followed by a piano/voice lieder (sorry, I don’t recognize this particular one) given the CD skipping treatment. The piece appears childish at first (anyone can rewind or fast-forward on a CD player, right?), but paired with the intro and the other electronics wrapped around, it exerts a strange fascination. The dark Timewise provides another highlight. The disc concludes with the 12-minute Southern Yukon / Northern BC (perhaps parts of Alaska). Beginning as an abstract glitchy construction, it builds up to an infernal finale of digital noise, leaving the listener stunned.
