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Empty
Surfacing

Aphotic Audio

Posted: Sunday, June 13, 2010
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

It is quite a quandary for underground artists to find new and interesting ways to create music that can reconcile creativity with accessibility. To balance divergent elements that by their very nature would seem antithetical to each other and still be able to reach a wider audience is a difficult task that many take on, but few are able to accomplish successfully. Australia's Empty is a band that has the potential to achieve this; formed in 2005 by Aaron Potter and Daniel Brunet, this band has been lingering in the underground music scene with several EP releases and compilation appearances, all building anticipation for a full-length debut. Finally, that album has arrived!

Those familiar with Empty may think they know what to expect: an energetic amalgam of introspective trip-hop, pulsating drum & bass, with a bit of rock & roll attitude. Indeed, Surfacing does provide this, first evidenced from opening track "Deprivation," as entrancing synthesized atmospheres build slowly to a shattering display of crisp breakbeats. Released as a single, "Never Get to You" brings in the vocals, as immersive as the ambience that underlies them, complete with trip-hop beats given just a bit of glitchy goodness. Tracks like "Drift" and "Inside" follow suit, full of catchy melodies that would surely find an audience with fans of the dark synthpop of Depeche Mode or even the more genre-bending fare of Massive Attack, but juxtaposed with gritty industrialized atmospheres that put the band on par with the harsher sounds of industrial rock, albeit without guitars. "Frames" is certainly the epic masterpiece of Surfacing as Zintek's Tessa Zinyk offers a fuller, more rocking vocal range more in line with '80s power metal, but plays a wonderful harmonious complement to Potter's breathiness. With a slow beat always on the cusp of but never devolving into chaos, and somber pianos that resonate with the vocal atmospheres, the song's power is undeniable. Other tracks like "Ignite," "Forgotten Dreams," and "Recognition" are more frenetic and while no less melodic, are much more infused with abrasive industrial soundscapes that shatter as much as they soar. "Internal" closes the album on an abstract note of sonic reverberations and manipulated samples building to a spaced out crescendo.

If there is anything negative to be said about Surfacing, it would be the presence of recognizable samples from such films as Blade Runner and Flatliners; while not overly distasteful, the overabundant sampling of these particular films in the industrial scene does make Empty's choice to use them seem a tad uninspired. However, this is a minor annoyance that does little to hinder the album's overall quality of songwriting and production, aided in part by Trozoc Productions' Chris Cozort. Contrary to the band's name, this album is densely layered with rich textures that will leave listeners constantly discovering new elements with each play. Credit should be given to Potter and Brunet's ability to mix various genres and maintain a melodic sensibility that will undoubtedly enable Empty to find an audience both in and out of the underground.