BLACK MARBLE
A DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENT (HARDLY ART)
A departure from the "Weight Against The Door" EP's calculated coldwave formalism, "A Different Arrangement" surveys a wide variety of sounds, from radiant, bouncing ebullience to layers of sentimental synth melodies and Stewart's resonant, reverb-smeared baritone; at times so distinctly manipulated and sculpted as to be otherworldly.
The influence of early synth pioneers like Thomas Leer and Robert Rental is felt across "A Different Arrangement"'s eleven tracks, as are the fingerprints of the record's hard-line do-it-yourself architects.
If "Weight Against the Door" constituted a long, cold night, then "A Different Arrangement" heralds the moment when the radiator finally sputters to life, flooding the room with heat as the sun rises over a horizon of Brutalist tower blocks.
The homemade soundtrack to a still, uncertain dawn, "A Different Arrangement" is a striking evolution in Black Marble's sound.