الوهيم – ♦☼♦

Recommendation: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


♦☼♦ is an unlikely addition to the Seikomat/Sud Swap Audio Brewing/Botanica1 family of labels, which generally focus on uptempo and positive-affect vaporwave in classic-style and hypnagogic drift forms. In contrast, this album is entirely vaporgoth. Released in September 2016, ♦☼♦ is an eight-track mini-album that implores the listener to “gather your limbs, shake the earth from your flesh”. It has a religious atmosphere, what with the ancient Egyptian dress in the album artwork and the translation of الوهيم as “Elohim” or “Al Wahim” in Arabic. Titles references Cleopatra, Nephthys, and Ashtar – the last of which is both an Aksumite god and a fabled extraterrestrial who is a major aspect of UFO-centric new age religion. ♦☼♦ demonstrates a blend between religion and outer space, implying that the gods are extraterrestrial visitors (e.g. “╣LANDING╠”).

Tracks have a somewhat ambient atmosphere with the occasional classic-style influence. “Warning of Ashtar” is the most blatant of the latter influence, sounding like its source material was taken from indigenous north African music. There are two short tracks called “scroll 99” and “scroll 33” with some unintelligible speech in them, ostensibly being the recitations of prophecies concerning the return of alien gods to their followers. “Cleopatra’s Ascend” and the title track are pretty outwardly cyberpunk, having a lot in common with stuff from Penthouse Apartment on Y2K: New Millenium Nightclub1. Final track “╣LANDING╠” is eight minutes of pure dark ambient music. That one and “Cleopatra’s Ascend” are great additions to a creepy cyberpunk-themed playlist.

 

Tracklist


1. Crystal Palace – (2:17)
2. scroll 99 – (0:41)
3. Nephthys – (5:25)
4. Warning of Ashtar – (3:33)
5. Cleopatra’s Ascend – (3:30)
6. scroll 33 – (0:41)
7. ♦☼♦ – (2:50)
8. ╣LANDING╠ – (8:16)


 

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