It seems that Spectraliquid is one of those labels which follow the rule 'better less but more'. At the moment there are 6 releases in their collection, but this recording company from Greece already has gained the authority among the listeners of interesting electronic music. A Wake A Week is one more alter ego of Dave Dando-Moore who's familiar to us due to the project Detritus. In Little Black Cloud he steps totally aside from breakbeat, industrial and turns his creative impulses to the dark substance consisting of modern classical, dark ambient and martial industrial. Such music shouldn't be listened on a sunny day for raising your mood, no, (though perhaps such people who'll do so, exist) it's a very serious atmosphere composition which demands certain attention of the listener. Nevertheless the quality of performance is very high and doesn't rouse any censure.Listening to Little Black Cloud, you automatically imagine that you are in some gothic-noir horror film. If you have played Silent Hill or saw the screen version or heard the genius soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka then you'll understand what's discussed in this review. Suspense is present here too, constant waiting for something bad, also grief and sadness because of losing your beloved person. I don't know what was happening in Dave's soul, which darkness and cold occupied his heart when he was creating the album, though he skillfully managed to transfer this state of mood to me. So, for example in the first track "Home" in my memory stayed the moment when on the background of a bit distorted synth and the lowest piano octaves sounds some old record. You feel as if you were walking through an ancient abandoned house, you're all in suspense, afraid, and suddenly turns on some old gramophone with old record. Surely Dave was under the impression of films with similar fragments. But not all tracks are colored with such dark tones. For example, "Leaves" seemed to be some kind of an autumn track casting pleasant melancholy which can be casted, by the view of dying nature. Noise similar to rustling of fallen leaves adds up atmosphere and creates the presence effect. The author isn't obsessed with the same methods, he brings diversity into the sounding and at the same time keeps the single, integral style of the album.
Though I'm not the fan of shadow and darkness aesthetics, it seems to me that only true artist, and Dave Dando-Moore is such a painter, will be able to see beauty in such things and at the same time he'll manage to bring to other people that what he's feeling. The album will surely take its worthy place in my and your collections.
- Spectraliquid