LINEA ASPERA - Linea Aspera II

Alison Lewis (a musician of Australian origin also known as Zoé Zanias) has returned to base, after spending many years exploring the darker, more experimental territories of synth-pop, first with the solid Keluar (formed together with Sid Lamar of Schwefelgelb) and then solo as Zanias, a project still active today, capable of flirting even with techno (the recent EP "Extinction" is genuinely excellent).

We still don't know whether, for Linea Aspera, "LP II" is a new shooting star or the foundation for a serious comeback, but fans certainly haven't forgotten the self-titled debut released in 2012, a brilliant work that's also become quite the collector's item (curiously, the first CD pressing fetches far more than the first vinyl pressing).

Alongside Alison is of course British musician Ryan Ambridge, the mind operating behind this moniker: in the opener "Solar Flare" the duo's signature is immediately recognizable, with a minimal, obsessive synth line taking Lewis's voice by the hand, in a partnership that favors cold emotional stasis over evolution. And that works just fine. But when the nostalgic pull of "Redshift" (perhaps the best track of the bunch) gives way to airier compositions like "Equilibrium", "Event Horizon" and "Entropy" (the latter shamelessly eighties), the Australian vocalist's melodies (or litanies, if you prefer) clash with a sound that isn't quite on target, certainly less deep and melancholic than the duo's earlier work. So we have to make do with the more introspective pieces, like "Decoherence" or the closing "Wave Function Collapse", a synthetic carpet that best showcases Alison's qualities, finally placed on the pulpit here to deliver one last, anguished prayer.

"LP II" isn't released on any label (at least as far as the first version goes), a self-production strongly wanted by the duo following last year's signs of a reawakening (the rarities compilation "Preservation Bias"). Riding the winning wave of their debut, this work already starts out with a considerable advantage (fans have been champing at the bit for some time now), though that doesn't mean "LP II" is a fully successful record: too many mood swings and only two or three tracks truly worth noting - a bit thin for a duo that had previously accustomed us to releases of unquestionable quality.

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08/10/2020