Dementia is a thief. It robs its victims piece by piece of their memory, identity, family and friends, and often enough even their human dignity. On their fourth full-length album, "Bleed, Memory" Los Angeles-based electronic experimentalists THIEF explore the theme of 'memory' both lyrically and musically, which runs as a bold dotted line throughout the album. The solo project's mastermind, Dylan Neal, was largely inspired for this album after witnessing his father, who had recently been diagnosed with dementia, transition from bouts of forgetfulness and confusion to acute episodes of false memories, delusions, visions, and strange behaviour. This makes "Bleed, Memory" a very personal creation and the experience has led Neal to question his own memories and explore how they shape his identity and reality. Memories are not just the stories we tell ourselves and others and this is evident in Neal's comparison of them to ghosts. Those have no corporal existence, yet scare those who believe in them. Once again, the backbone of THIEF is made up of sampled sacred chant music. Some were sampled from crate digging, and some recorded at various orthodox churches. These samples got stretched, cut, mangled, morphed, and pitched to function like its own ethereal instrument. Neal deliberately designed "Bleed, Memory" to sound haunted. One of the techniques that he used to achieve this effect is 'granular synthesis'. The more prominent use of granular synthesis on this record means that samples got split into small blips of audio, barely exceeding 100 milliseconds. This unique approach, amalgamating musical elements from ambient, industrial, choral music, black metal, and trip-hop, among other influences, into a new sonic experience, has long granted THIEF a cult status among the initiated. Neal once more recorded and mixed most of the album in his apartment. For the mastering he managed to win John Greenham again, whose collaborations include artists ranging from THE LOCUSTS and KATY PERRY to DEATH GRIPS, and who has received three Grammy Awards in 2019 that honoured his mastering for BILLIE EILISH. With "Bleed, Memory", THIEF deliver a dark yet beautiful artistic contemplation of a terrible affliction that is at the same time conveying anger, melancholy, sorrow, and loss as a Gesamtkunstwerk (synthesis of all arts) lyrically, musically, and visually. Beware this sonic ghost will haunt the memories of its listeners! Tracklist: 01. Apparitions 02. Cinderland 03. Paramnesia 04. Pneuma Enthusiastikon 05. Prankquean 06 Dead Coyote Dreams 07. Bleed, Memory 08. Dulcinea 09. Behemouth 10.. Hexproof 11. Pissing 12. To Whom it May Concern Bonus Disc (Artbook only): Title: Lost, Memory 01. Saturnian 02. Indomitable 03. The Rules of Famine 04. Mixtape 2017 - 2019 05. Funeral Waltz 06. Ginnungagap 07. Selected Ambient Works v666 08. Behemouth (Glacier Mix)
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