Review: Nedry – Condors

Although dated back to the end of the last Century, dubstep seems to be the new genre of choice for those in the know. Its successes seem to revolve around a number of key artists making instrumental music; Burial being the key name to drop. London’s Nedry are now attempting to bring this incorporate dubstep in to their songs. They consist of two British DJ types and a Japanese frontwoman.

Stuttering, glitchy beats punctuate ‘A42’ with a glistening guitar figure and Ayu Okakita’s Björk-isms providing the humanity. ‘Apples & Pears’ shows even more signs of vulnerability and will come as a slap in the face for those who say dubstep isn’t emotionally involving enough. After that though, the trio only succeed sporadically.

‘Squid Cat Battle’ is rather ugly as the abrasive electronica grates along to Okakita’s panicky delivery but the predominantly instrumental ‘Scattered’ signals a brief but welcome revival for drum and bass music. They do save one of their best moments for last too; ‘Where Dead Birds Go’ proffering a very desirable nocturnal atmosphere. In between times, it’s hard to feel moved by the songs which, though undeniably interesting, seem closer in spirit to sonic experiments.

‘Condors’ sounds very of the moment and you can’t help thinking a certain Icelandic female artist would have wanted to make this record. However, it’s often a very cold listening experience which frequently teeters towards the austere in its effort to sound original.

Web Sites:
Nedry Official Site
Nedry MySpace

Further Listening:
Burial, Björk

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