She Spread Sorrow — Mine
I'm no stranger to the work of Alice Kundalini. Earlier this year I had the pleasure of reviewing SSS's intense and creepy 3rd album Midori. Mine, as with Kundalini's other albums, perfectly melds dark ambient and ritualistic industrial to create something that is uniquely both serene and beautiful, yet horrific.
This expanded edition of Mine spans forty six minutes, featuring tracks “Blue Monsoon” and “Mild Homily” not found on the original vinyl release. Mine opens with “Crushed on the Pillow,” which manages to strike a tightrope balance between layered pulsing synth tones and electro-acoustic junk metal abuse. It’s a moody and sprawling piece, with just enough restraint to keep some harsh noise backdrop at bay. Kundalini’s signature vocals, which waver from to raspy whispers to spoken stylings, take center stage.
“Lust” offers a six minute swath of see-sawing and throbbing synths that slowly and steadily grow; layered with some extended breathing techniques. The rhythmic pattern grows and swells to a massive crescendo only to quietly recede with moments to spare.
The title track “Mine” is perhaps my favorite track on the disc, which for some reason, eerily reminds me of Medusa’s lair from Clash of the Titans. Subtle percussive thuds, some spaced-out theremin sounding synth bits, some gong-like resonance, and a serpentine rattle, make for a real horrorshow of a piece.
“Blue Monsoon” features a persistent jovile bell sound amongst layers of thick keyboard strokes and fragile breathing in the distance.
It’s remarkable how much Kundalini’s vocals act as an instrument throughout this disc, often used with great affect even without uttering a word. It’s really the tie that binds Mine together.
Mine is another stellar offering by She Spread Sorrow and the fine folks at Cold Spring. I have a feeling this a collaboration that we have not seen (and heard) the last of.