RIVAL CONSOLES - Articulation

Sketches on paper that look as if they came from the drawers of a disused factory, pencils in place of a mouse, that mad urge to step away, at least for a while, from the damned computer, and a title that evokes a György Ligeti piece: “Articulation” by Rival Consoles, the stage name of Ryan Lee West, is born from these premises, and is thus a departure from the architecture of his recent past.

In recent times, moreover, the English musician hasn't stopped for a second, taking his live set to every corner of the planet, even performing alongside 17 musicians from the London Contemporary Orchestra for a sold-out show at the Queen Elizabeth Hall at London's Southbank Centre. Not bad, especially after contributing “Them Is Us” to the “Adult Swim Singles” series, and composing original music for “Black Mirror” and for renowned choreographer Alexander Whitley.

The drawings and analogue instruments created by the Englishman are nevertheless used exclusively to reinforce the perception of the digital element, not to evade it. It's an inclination that can be sensed in every single step of the album.

Rival Consoles is a wide-ranging scriptwriter of unusual scenarios, moving between consoling little showers of rain (“Melodica”), rhythms reminiscent of Milanese as a nod to his origins (“Articulation”), and swelling fibrillations that bring back to mind Andy Stott and the unreachable “Luxury Problems” (“Forwardism”), but also Alex “The Field” Willner and, at times, the Minilogue of “Blomma”.

Rival Consoles' electronic music, setting aside its obvious dating and scattered echoes here and there, is full of life. There's joy, hope, and a desire to float above the world and above things, comfortably stretched out on rationally arranged beds of synths, anything but haphazard (“Sudden Awareness From Now”).

The wave-like motion conjured by the opening “Vibrations On A String” even recalls the hazy music (and imagery) of Boards of Canada's super 8 videos, with an ecstatic pace just gentle enough to make you look up at the sky, switch everything off and reconnect with nature, while at times even trying to keep your hips still.

It's a good thing there are no extravagant distortions or scattershot interference. Musicians like Ryan Lee West, after all, steer clear of experimentation for its own sake. They are, if anything, lone wolves who care about substance. Material that shines with its own light, naturally. And that alone would be enough to set them apart, like sacks full of small great gifts, from much of today's “electronic” sludge.

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20/09/2020