The Remote Viewers — Let The City Sleep

Released at the tail end of 2020 Let The City Sleep is something rather different from this London base noir influenced-to-Avant jazz collective. The twelve-track album was created during lockdown last year- with much more focus on the use of electronic elements and electro orchestrated elements- sure there are live/ real instrumental passages in the album, but these are far from the focus. Also, structure-wise the songs/ flow of the album is a lot more darting/ jarring- all in all making for a most different and distinctive release from The Remote Viewers.

The album kicks off in very jarring/ disorientating fashion with “The Moviegoer”- here we find a  shifting soundscape of honking( car) horns, sustained pitch unease, darting electro texturing, machine set like layers of cascading piano notes, and Avant classical synthetic- orchestration dwells- these brought to mind a darker/ unwell version of Zappa’s foray into similar material.  

As we move through the album we come to waving and under an archway like atmospheric single horn improv of “File 2- Kraabel” which features odd reverb/ background details. There’s the sour siren wave swoop, randomly tolling vibes, and moody-to-climb piano of “Sight Seeing The Ruins( Part 1)" which really creates a detailed and sweaty tense sonic atmosphere.  We have the uneasy rundown and gloomy exotica of “Distant Glimpse” with its woozy vibes, eerier electro swirls, and strange crunchings. With the album last two tracks been “File 5- Petts” which is all about rugged 'n' rough sax honks and high bays. And “Porch View” with its blend of stabbing synthetic orchestrated, grainy to squalling electro texturing, and sudden hits of cut-up orchestrated/ and amassed key hits.

There is no doubt that 2020 was a year unlike anything modern man and woman had experienced before, and the experience affected people in different ways Let The City Sleep, was clearly The Remote Viewers response to this year- and boy it’s a jarring, strange, and odd record- really unlike anything they’ve done before. I’ll have to admit it’s certainly an album that has taken its time to click for me, and really when I first heard it I wasn’t quite sure what to make. And I  still can’t say it’s my favourite thing from the collective, but I certainly appreciate/ understand it a bit more now.