carsten jost: perishable tactics

In the midst of a busy year, full of wildly-varied accomplishments, David Lieske (aka Carsten Jost) presents Perishable Tactics, his first full-length album since 2001's You Don't Need A Weatherman To Know Which Way The Wind Blows. Since his last full-length, he's kept busy curating countless releases on Dial, the label he co-runs with Peter "Lawrence" Kersten, which celebrated a 15 year anniversary with an all-encompassing various artists compilation, he has released a gallery-edition album of his black ambient collaboration Misanthrope CA with Robert Kulisek, Deathbridge, and he launched a new magazine project (also with Kulisek) named after the speed of light (i.e. 299792458m/s). Out of all of the Dial house and techno artists, Carsten Jost has always represented the most precise brand of exquisitely doom-laden house, laced with equally strong doses of melancholy and beauty. On Perishable Tactics, Lieske runs through his distinctively stealthy, low-slung beat-"mospheres", leaning towards a decidedly low-lit and sultry space, but mixed with a fresh, gently arcing feeling of romance and possibly love. Tellingly, he's seen it fit to include 2007's "Love", originally from a 2007 split release with Efdemin. But while "Love" represents a yearning towards a place where love might reside, the remaining tracks seem to represent a place where love actually exists. This feeling is woven into his deep, medium tempo, Detroit-inflected house rhythms, accented with crystalline keys, disembodied voices at times, and gently soaring strings. While anger may be less in the forefront here it is important to notice that these tracks are ripe with the balance of joy and unease inherent in house. There is definitely a newfound languid nature here that feels particularly like a moment shared by two (perhaps many), but the atmosphere still remains decidedly pensive. "Ambush", with its strolling beat, moody, yet sweet chords and chilling atmosphere, which is eventually joined by thunder cracking a safe-distance away. Of course diehard fans will find satisfaction knowing that Lieske's delectable angst hasn't completely abated. The title track takes a disarmingly peaceful setting and rolls a heavy fog over it to herald a sure-to-arrive fate that awaits the listener. But with "Dawn Patrol", the whispering hi-hat and gently clanking rhythm, offset by rolling strings, marries the old and new Carsten Jost most successfully. Dense atmospheres, bookended by tracks by Misanthrope CA, make for a perfectly foreboding, elegant, and deliciously dark album by Carsten Jost.