liberez: way through vulnerability

2018 release. Southend-on-Sea experimental outfit Liberez deliver Way Through Vulnerability, the end result of a year-and-a-half long recording process, an amorphous new line up, and advanced studies in sound collage. On Way Through Vulnerability new members Reay, Saunders, and Ugarteburu channel the projects previous outings on Alter and Night School by conveying the same firm grounding in rhythm, though this time via flamenco time signatures and eerie, repetitive clapping. At times sounding indebted to the "tribal ambient" of decades gone by, at times sounding fresh in their approach ("Here Is The Proof" is of note) the trio manage to export motifs from Italian avant-garde circles, UK industrial, and post-rock all at the same time. The sound design on "Derelict Intentions" makes heavy use of background ambience and bleak, world-weary minimalism to lull us into a false sense of calm before harsh and unexpected blurts of noise break the equilibrium. In doing so they swiftly side-step any preconceptions of "easy listening" and opt instead to drag us deeper down into their own dark waters. At times we almost seem to delve into lost theatre soundtrack territory; fragmented neo-classical elements dance with punchy drum machines ("Cara En La Foto Pt II") and things draw to a close with the end credit worthy swansong of the album's title track. The group repeatedly utilize Basque country language, Hungarian dialect, and ancient Russian to lend their compositions a cross-cultural underpinning and eschew any clear geographic origin, a decision which all but adds to the perplexities of their unique brand of electro-acoustic purgatory.