Neurofilter is the solo music and visual art project of Australian based artist Max Hiscock. According to the artist Somewhere in the Silence is an EP created from a love of stories, texture, alt rock roots and cinematic dynamics. It consists of five tracks, each flowing into the next to form a twenty-five minute long journey that is designed to be listened to in a single sitting.
It’s a little funny that an artist has to state something like that these days but it makes sense since streaming is ubiquitous. When I was a kid the main format everyone listened to music on was vinyl. So there was really no other option. You would just start the record and flip over when it was over. That was it. Somewhere in the Silence is a fairly cohesive release and I appreciate it when the artist really takes the time to think about how the release will sound sequentially. His music felt thematic, very dramatic, and a mix of electronic and organic instrumentation. The first song is entitled “Nothing Behind Me” and there is a dark quality to the music with shades of shoegaze and post-rock. I was reminded of Mogwai at times. There are a couple different singing styles. I really enjoyed the initial vocal delivery. There is also this whispering that happens which I wasn’t as crazy about. The song rocks outs effectively on the chorus. I would say it was a great opener. Up next is “Elusive Horizon.” The verse mixes drone like white noise with a very catchy vocal melody. Once the chorus pops up it is very sudden and almost too chaotic to handle. The drums are constantly doing fills and took away my attention from the vocals. That being said the chorus is infectious. “Repose” felt like a song that was different from the rest. This is ambient music that comes closer to artists like Fennesz or Jon Hopkins. I would say this was also very thematic and feels like music that could have been in the closing sequence in a movie like Blade Runner. He goes back into rock oriented post-rock with “In My Mind” which is a long song but in a lot of ways is more straightforward than anything that came before. “Obsolete” is the last song and sounded industrial with whispering vocals not too far away from NIN. Hiscock is playing into a lot of different genres with these five songs. I felt like “Repose” could have been on a different release or perhaps a different project. I felt the songwriting was really good and the subtle moments were often his best. Overall, I thought this was a solid effort from a young artist who is just getting started. I look forward to hearing more.
1 Comment
2/24/2020 06:31:47 pm
Thanks so much for this review! A pleasure to read & glad you enjoyed the EP. You're the man, Dan!
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