It has been a fruitful few years for Martin Jenkins (aka Pye Corner Audio / Head Technician/Dystopian Vectors). We’ve recently seen the beautiful coloured 5×12” pressing of the much loved and elusive Black Mill Tapes to vinyl, Where Things are Hollow 2 (2020) on Lapsus Records, a number of experimental digital only EPs direct to fans on Bandcamp, and the Dark Phase (2019) and Island of Ghosts (2017) on the amazing Analogical Force label that doesn’t seem to put a step wrong, and of course the much sought after Where Things are Hollow (2017). Just occurred to me – the referenced releases have all been on coloured vinyl! You’ll see on Discogs, some are a tad more difficult to come by.
Our head technician, with his melancholic synths sounding as if they are longing for a future that will never exist, a past that is almost remembered but fading into the dusk has sprung a surprise album ‘The Spectral Corridor’ under the new moniker of The House in The Woods. This takes those the aforementioned synths to a darker, grittier and more unsettling place, ‘Quadratic’ evokes the feel of an abandoned and fading former institutional home. ‘Spectral Corridor Part 2’ feels as if it’s outside of time and space, the void left behind after a traumatic entity has been removed. The warm tones and clear drones of ‘Part 4’ show a clear focused new direction for Jenkin’s new project, which when played loud on vinyl (as my copy is) through a collection of speakers or through headphones your mind wanders so much it almost gets lost completely. Imagine laying on the ground alone and undisturbed looking up at the slowly meandering sky. It’s an experience unlike any drone album, and alongside the works of Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never), Alva Noto, and Tim Hecker I feel our Head Technician has just taken his place on the throne.
Clear your mind, get into the open and experience this album in its entirety – by the time you get to the final few tracks, you might want to start again.
Find digital on Bandcamp – The Spectral Corridor | The House In The Woods (bandcamp.com)
Limited Edition (500) physical copies on Boomkat – The House In the Woods (Pye Corner Audio) – The Spectral Corridor – Boomkat
The House In The Woods / Ecstatic | Review by Rik Mannix
