Album Review: ESA - Designer Carnage
Throwing a massive middle finger to capitalism and the consumer climate we find ourselves in, ESA describe the new album as such.. This luxuriously designed piece will increase your chances of better general well-being, life quality and self esteem.
Check out some of the other 'Items for sale' on his bandcamp for a further look in to the middle finger and humour the concept of the album intends. This release is a wild one and sure to get you thinking as well as moving like a puppet on a string..
Here we are. Studio album no.11 from UK dark rhythmical electronics genius Jamie Blacker / AKA ESA.
Something is stirring here. An impatience with musical complicity across the genre possibly?
Because DESIGNER CARNAGE is not only probably the most powerful ESA album to date but it also stinks of ambition.
From the rampant 1.5 minute original classical piano piece mixed with sickening glitches in brick wall opener ‘Laudanum Dance’ to the Bebop singalong noise swinger ‘Come and Find Me’….to the hyper-speed Industrial Black Metal (Jazz?) closer ‘Saturnalia’. Oh and there’s a mid-90’s feeling Industrial Rap track thrown in there, just in case you were worried there wasn’t enough going on.
It's like Blacker genuinely sat down and threw the rule-book out of the window. Not interested in simply creative vast rhythms of angry electronics, we are now being treated to a journey through the genres. Either Blacker just doesn’t care anymore about expectations or limits, or he specifically chose to delve as deeply as possible into his creativity, to bring us something both interesting and challenging…but still flaunting the trademark energy and destructive swoon that has brought him to this point in his 16 year career.
As rampant as it is. There’s a concept running through these tracks. Decadence / Capitalism and fakeness seems to definitely be the victim subjects this time. There’s a sense that Blacker is consistently and vaguely poking fun at the rich and the ignorant. While there ARE elements of humour… it's of the pitch black variety, as ready club-hit ‘Hyena’ will contest!
‘Designer Carnage’ is a spiral of heavy pounding beats, crushing bass and soaring leads… all stirred up in a cauldron of (to be blunt)…madness. If Industrial music was a commodity. This really would be the ‘Designer’ brand.
The video below will help to instil that running theme..