Tape Dekay - Decadimento Del Nastro - Decadenza Di Tutto [Old Captain/Narcolepsia - 2019]Despite being on the scene and appearing on compilations as far back as 1999, Decadimento Del Nastro - Decadenza Di Tutto is the first album by Tape Dekay (BJ Nilsen of Hazard and Morthound). Noisy soundscapes riddled with musique concrete, Decadimento is a dark, sprawling full length available on CD and digital formats. Hopefully a harbinger of further releases, Tape Dekay's first album is much anticipated and certainly delivers. Constructed with seven slowly churning tracks, Decadimento Del Nastro - Decadenza Di Tutto takes a noisy approach to throbbing soundscapes and sprinkles them with pained, distorted vocals and other assorted vocal samples. Adding a human element to this electronic painting, Tape Dekay bridges the gap between untouchable, circuitry fueled displays and the listener, and this crossover point adds a certain disturbing factor to it. Feeling a oneness with the being trapped inside this machine, one is drawn closer to the crispy atmospheres on display and the work can begin to take hold. Like a guided tour of an alien robotics factory, Decadimento pulls the listener forth, and pulls back the cover on all the inner workings of this bizarre location. Based on psychotronic distress, thought insertion, electronic harassment, and the Frey Effect, one begins to wonder if one is really hearing these voices or if they're all in one's head. Varied levels of noise between songs increase the tension and unease, and reinforce the solitude of this industrial soundscape. Dark and brooding, Tape Dekay uses many textures and layers to build these levels of dread and despite different approaches throughout the album, he is able to keep the vibe consistent. With "vocals" but really instrumental, Decadimento is an engaging collection of soundscapes woven together to create a grim and depressing whole.
If established acts that have waited this long to put out a full length don't have much left in the tank (if they had that much to begin with) after twenty years, then Tape Dekay is the exception. Intriguing, dark, and brooding, the soundscapes on Decadimento Del Nastro - Decadenza Di Tutto roll forth with varied intensity, but consistent determination, and create a thick, dreadful, industrial atmosphere. After this showing, let's just hope that we won't have to wait another 20 years for Tape Dekay's next album. Paul Casey
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