Locust - Natural Composite

_Natural Composite_, Mark Van Hoen’s second album as Locust shares many of the qualities as his first: the darker edge, the ambience, the textures. Indeed, one could draw some comparisons to Aphex Twin’s _Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2_ from the swirl and feel of “Pillar.” The siren-like tone that lingers behind “Good God” seems to belie the blasphemous little sample running through the track. The tonal “Fruit Molecules” hangs in the air like a mysterious odor. The titles, at times, seem at odds with conjured sounds: “Air Primary” is more of a whirlwind, while “Air Secondary (Battery)” jitters like an unstable molecule; “It Is Called Peace” doesn’t seem to be peaceful whatsoever with its metallic twitch and thrumming rhythm. At other times, tracks, such as the long and droning “Needle,” don’t develop fully. Not as accomplished as his debut, but still absorbing.