Anemone Tube — Death Over China
And a detailed concept it is, mainly touching on the subject of China, their explosive industrial growth and the repercussions on the atmosphere. Heady stuff, no? Yes and no. While there is a serious subject matter here (ecological consequences, slavish attitudes to progress and nature versus humankind arguments) there is also music.
Each of the six songs here features field recordings taken from Nanjing and Shanghai. Intermittently synthesizers and other effects and sounds are added. There is a large dose of industrial, static, buzzing and echoing sounds and that’s a good thing. It all adds to the general feeling of industry. Yet within all that productivity is the mood of bleakness, hopelessness and decay. The use of mechanical effects combined with spoken word (especially on “The Desecration from Within”) further illustrates the bleak and cold realities of progress. Lyrics are descriptive; “may my dust drown your lungs/and smother the earth with silence/may these times be graven on your memory/and fill its scars with distress”. Solemn subject matter, at least lyrically and musically.
Admittedly some of the sounds are overwhelming to the point of noise; yet given the subject matter that is probably the point. Yes it may be the progress and economical happiness of people, but to what extent? No matter how well a nation sugar coats growth and development you cannot hide from the harsh realities of the impact on nature.