Hrvatski – Swarm & Dither

Hrvatski throws everything into the kitchen sink here: drill ‘n’ bass, IDM, and noise into the stew that’s SWARM AND DITHER. The first track, “Vatstep DSP,” already has all those elements in there, plus some meowing, and singsong vocodered vocals, while “Paint it Black” adds some careful acoustic guitar into the chaos, and “2nd Zero Fidelity Mandible Investigation” starts off with some gentle piano chords that are quickly overwhelmed by aggressive IDM (which itself gives way to samples of what sounds like a peppy children’s song). There’s a strong sense of “let’s throw everything against the wall and see what sticks” here, while still hewing closely to what have become the trademark trademark sounds of IDM. “EWC 4,” for instance, has a little bit of thrash guitar, while “Gemini” and its “revision” show some genuine attention to mood and tone. On the other hand, “Marbles” sounds strangely familiar (the theme from a video game, I believe), but Hrvatski doesn’t quite do enough to make it his own. The indie-rock feel of “Tegenborg” gives way to a extended tonal ending which almost belies what’s come before it. Although the album as a whole is unfocused at times, the more contemplative parts of SWARM AND DITHER help counteract the willful anarchy that appears elsewhere.