Hanging Rock — Five Went Up

Five Went Up is the debut release from Hanging Rock- a new murky and disorientating ambient/ ANW project from Sean E. Ramirez-Matzus (theNIGHTproduct, Thin Mountain, Thewhitehorse, Last Rape, Black Leather Jesus). The release comes in the form of C32/ digital download on Ramirez-Matzus own label The White Visitation. 

I’m reviewing the digital version of the release- but as far as I can gather the physical version comes presented in a colour J card cover, which features on its front cover a still from 1975’s eerier and unsettling drama Picnic At Hanging Rock, which the project themes it’s sound around. The tape came in an edition of fifteen copies, and as of writing the label still has copies available for purchase.

First up we have the title track- and this slides in at the 15.55 mark. It starts out with a rising blend of hoovering/ muffled drone, distant chattering voices, and just- about their pop ‘n’ buffeting noise texturing. As we move on the textured elements become slightly more pronounced- with sudden moments of jump, more detail textured eeriness, and burred rub occurring - these add both a feeling of dread and building tension to the work, with the now buzzing almost heat hazed drone and distant-to-drifting snippets of undefined talking still carrying on in the background.

Flipping over the tape, and we have “One Ran Down”. Here we find a blend of creepy and murky drone matter, tight though compressed crackle, with moments of sudden blunt billowing, and more distant talking- which is now more panicked and concerned. As this track moves on there is a way more oppressive and unsettling post-industrial vibe, with some great meaty sub-bass rolls- but it still mangers to remain in the murky ambient/ ANW zone.

With Five Went Up Ramirez-Matzus highlights the more formally moody and ambient side of his output, with both tracks nicely captured the hazed, troubled, and at times hallucinatory feel of the film it's base. So, another most successful release from Sean.