Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Nadja - Desire In Uneasiness [Crucial Blast - 2008]

Aidan Baker is one busy individual. In just the last year, he's released a prodigious number of recordings, both on his own, as well as collaborations. Nadja, up until now, have operated as a duo, but for this release, they've added Jakob Thiesen (so I have read, though he's not credited on the sleeve) on drums. Leah Buckareff handles bass and vocals, and Baker takes on guitars, vocals, strings, woodwinds and drum programming. The new wrinkle for Desire in Uneasiness is clearly the "real drums".

Nadja regularly draw comparisons to Godflesh, for good reason. They have a similar aesthetic, in that they employ bass heavy distortion and neo-industrial sounds within their jams. But Nadja are more than imitators; they stretch out in more ambient directions, and they're way more loose limbed than Godflesh. At times, the wandering and intertwining bass patterns remind of OM's John McLaughlin-esque explorations. The background ambience comes most often in the form of distorted, epic drones, possibly sourced from guitar.

What's interesting about Nadja, is that, for a self professed "doom" project, they often create beautiful music underneath the murk. There's a psychedelic element to Nadja as well, and it's fairly pronounced this time around. It is in this arena that the drums really make their mark. The doomy, pummeling passages are great, but honestly the drums don't have too much impact in comparison to the programmed drums of their past albums. That's because, out of necessity, they're somewhat metronomic. But the drums provide a means for Nadja to expand, branching out in more natural directions, and that's where the band really shines. Some of the longer jams sound (and I mean this respectfully) like Bless it's Pointed Little Head era Jefferson Airplane, if they downtuned all the guitars, and buried everything beneath a subterranean noise drone.

Desire in Easiness from front to back is an enjoyable listen. It takes all of the aforementioned ideas and assembles them as a narrative. And though it's certainly crushing, it's not numbing. There's plenty of variety to be found, and there's a restlessness to this music which keep you entranced. Undoubtedly Nadja's followers will mark this as one of their better efforts. It also makes an excellent entry point for newcomers.   

Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

Erwin Michelfelder
Latest Reviews

Nadja - Desire In Uneasiness
Aidan Baker is one busy individual. In just the last year, he's released a prodigious number of recordings, both on his own, as well as collaborations. Nadja...
011125   Kleistwahr - Winter/Music for...
311025   The Residents - American Comp...
311025   Mondo Keyhole - Mondo Keyhole...
311025   Video Psycho - Video Psycho ...
301025   H.M.S. Defiant - H.M.S. Defi...
301025   Daughters Of Darkness - Daug...
301025   Tulsa Terrors - Tulsa Terrors...
291025   Who? - Who?( Blu Ray)
291025   The Ghost Of Peter Sellers - ...
291025   Various Artists - Wiener Wasser
Latest Articles

Michael Hurst Interview - Unbalan...
One of the more creative & original horror films I’ve seen/ reviewed recently is Transmission, a 2023 film which, a few months ago, received a DVD ...
281025   Michael Hurst Interview - Unb...
071025   Xiphos - The Rise And Fall Of...
030925   Third Window Films - A Label ...
130825   HNW fest- Barcelona- 12th Apr...
250725   Raté interview - Walled-in F...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
280525   The Residents - Visits From T...
090525   Ennaytch - Of walls, abused ...
150425   Dead, Dead Swans interview - ...
110325   Sebastian Tomb - Walls of unb...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom