Autistici — Familiarity Unfolded

Familiarity Unfolded is a collaborative effort, so the overall tone and style of the album cannot be pinned down and each track is allowed to create its own method in which to express itself. Opening the album is the Autistici solo piece that, I'm assuming, serves as the source and inspiration for the collaborative tracks that follow. "2.25 Degrees of Internalisation" is a somewhat robotic slice of ambient that feels otherworldly but at the same time oddly comforting. The synth swells that fill out the mix behind the delayed and decaying notes help push the track into soundscape territory all while remaining active and rhythmic. "Grusch's Biologics" follows and is the collaboration between Autistici & Datewithdeath. Greatly expounding upon the rhythmic tendencies of the first piece, numerous, propulsive layers keep the track bouncing and upbeat, even when the tonal quality would hint towards something dark and gloomy. The soundscape/cinematic layer is still present, and when it pokes its head out, the electronic gaiety helps to frame it nicely. Coming from a distance, "My Modal Realism" brings about a softer, more natural bit of electronics, with birds and insects giving the song a realistic texture (as evidenced by the title). The third track sees a collab with Jacek Doroszenko, who keeps his realism mix moving with a central drum section and human vocalizations. Sunny and joyful, like coming outside after a rainstorm, this one has quite a shift from the two previous tracks and certainly brings a smile to one's face. Although continuing with the watery, rainy sounds, "Subliminal Selves" focuses on more of a strong, gray feel, with the rain keeping the listener in place while the drones move freely about. The realism is strong in this piece as well, providing a nice base for the pulsing synths to add artificial texture. This pairing with Ümlaut is a longer piece but focuses on growth and natural progression, utilizing its runtime to the fullest. "Scalar (E-dit)" brings that heavy, synthy beat back and works in a rad bass groove, giving this one a John Carpenter feel. Autistici & Distant Fires Burning have the most head nodding track on the album with this one, and while it doesn't get too far outside of its bounds, it doesn't need to...its trajectory is excellent. Neuro... No Neur joins in to work on the closing track, "We Melt Clouds," a wistful exercise in rainy day reflection. Looking out the window as the drops cascade down, either wishing for a respite to head outside or taking the moment to look inward, "Clouds" has a few notes that really twang the heart and mind, using choice timing and sparseness to make their point. 

 

An intriguing premise set over six engaging and evocative tracks, Familiarity Unfolded closes out the trilogy on a very strong note. Electronic but still somewhat organic, the album takes collaboration to wonderful levels, each track allowed to be its own being, but still part of a collected whole. It's impressive, too, that with each artist given their own freedom and boundaries, all the pieces can still connect in such a meaningful way. Having only heard the third entry in the series, I would gladly check out the first two instalments and see how this one compares. For more