Civilistjävel! / Älvgång / Six Of Swords

Tomas Bodén’s latest as Civilistjävel!, “Älvgång”, is experimental electronica with its roots firmly in dub techno. Skeletal arrangements of bass boom, bumps, low drones, strange stretched sitar-like tones and tight, twisted glitches. All synthesised on vintage analogue equipment and Serge and Buchla systems. The mood is dark and eerie. Coloured by spooky, spectral emissions. Cut by scraping, metallic arcs. Haunted by hypnotic ethereal vocals. “Strinne Tre”, a collaboration with Soccer Committee’s Mariska Baars, is a beatless, hummed and sighed lullaby.“Strinne Fyra” rides a loose, rattling, techno rhythm, part Basic Channel, part Burial, reduced and reshaped by Guy Brewer aka Carrier. This, and the rest of the album, bear a sense of ritual. Slow, shuffling, tribal drums underpinning a stealthy, sinister, unease. A icy, Scandinavian mutation of Jamaican reggae’s dub dread. “Bjärtrå Ett” features lonely piano keys and percussion like creeping, cinematic footfalls. Sonic sources…