Since he first appeared on the scene in 2009, James Shaw's work as
Sigha has morphed from submerged, aquatic dubstep to sparse, haunting techno, and has only gotten darker and bleaker. His work from around 2012, including the Abstractions I-IV EP and debut full-length
Living with Ghosts, pushed his experimentation further while remaining starkly club-focused. Subsequent singles for labels like Avian and Blueprint focused on pounding beats and intense, paranoid textures, plunging deeper and deeper into the abyss. His second full-length,
Metabolism, appears on Token, following two singles for the label. The album contains some of his most risk-taking productions yet, drifting away from easily danceable rhythms and embracing static and frayed textures. The album starts out with the suspenseful, cinematic "Suffocate," which features slowly paced thumps that sound like trudging through sand, and droning synths that make fitting music to gaze up at the sky in search of aliens. Plenty of the tracks here do have pounding beats, but they often seem to sputter and splinter off into sparks. There are more experimental, deconstructed pieces like the fittingly titled "Coming Apart," which features sporadic, rainfall-like pulsations loosely arranged into a rhythm, along with shimmering ambience and possibly subliminal voices. When straightforward 4/4 beats do take charge, as on "Black Massing," they're massive and resounding, and will be a force to reckon with on any decent sound system. After the hypnotic, borderline psychotic techno track "Interior," the album switches into a more subtle mode with the mesmerizing electro track "Her." Then, after building up tension with the percolating "Morning Star," "Positive Mutilation" is a flaming, lopsided ball of ugliness flopping down a filthy city sidewalk, coming close to the ghastliness of artists like
Shapednoise. Shaw's sound design has never been more detailed or daring than on
Metabolism, and he's never produced anything quite as chilling. [
Metabolism was also released in a two-LP vinyl edition that included the CD version of the album as well.] ~ Paul Simpson