(Mistletone/Shock)

Prime-grade minimal skronk-pop from Brisbane-born, Melbourne-based electronic whizz

A former Brisbane boy and certified “cracked pop fuzzbox”, Mark Barrage is one of those unassuming bedroom producers who muster up summarily non-pretentious, yet genuinely innovative records. Bleep-heavy and crackling with authentic static noise, Delays is a quiet, concise lo-fi gem, with half of its 14 tracks running under the two-minute mark. The album’s remarkable opening salvo covers at least half a dozen different genres without succumbing to imitation: Can-through-Ladytron-on-downers Crucifix At Midnight gives way to the unsettling Just Desserts, which blends syncopated old-school synth stabs with dubstep/grime-referencing disjointed voice snippets to a rather eerie effect, and pure electro-pop nugget Hindsight packs hidden Kraftwerkian emotion in Mark’s detached vocal. Elswhere, many of the synth sounds are almost 8-bit-like with their high-pitched zings; the beats are largely subdued, ticking like a vintage alarm clock underneath the warped electronic textures. Apart from Mark’s self-professed “shitty old equipment” wizardry, the album’s understated, haunting melodies grow bigger after a few repeated listens, also bringing a realisation that someone like the much-vaunted (albeit a bunch of years ago) US minimalist Casiotone For The Painfully Alone is essentially a one-trick pony and true lo-fi wonders often lurk in our own backyard. Curious and original, Delays could well be the Clarion Call for crappy ancient keyboard/drum machine enthusiasts everywhere.

****

DENIS SEMCHENKO

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