Demdike Stare – Elemental 1 & 2 (2012) [Modern Love] // Grade: B

British producers Demdike Stare embrace the grandiose. From the spectral, cinematic sprawl of their albums to the way they put those albums together — last year’s Triptych compiled three 2010 releases, plus a slew of unreleased tracks; Elemental is four themed releases split into several parts — the duo always reaches for the far-reaching. Every album, every set, every bit of art and packaging is an event.

Elemental Parts 1 & 2 (otherwise known as Chrysanthe & Violetta) cements that tradition in firm, unmoving ground. This is a monster of a record, a cave-dwelling spread of lurching, halting, thick-muscled ambient jams. Miles Whittaker and Sean Canty turn their obvious affinities for techno and drone into a sneaky beast, with tracks like “Mephisto’s Lament” and “Kommunion” skittering between middle-earth bass and ethereal, organic soundscapes, while less anchored (but equally amazing) tracks like “Unction” feed off a nervous haunted house vibe. The duo even find some footing in post-punk and industrial; “Mnemosyne” especially feels like an exotic SPK or Throbbing Gristle. Some tamer, bizarro world version of that iconic shock and clatter.

But beyond all that, there’s an icy clarity to Elemental Parts 1 & 2 that hasn’t been apparent on Demdike Stare’s previous releases. Though they always aim for the vast, the grand, the sonically overwhelming, this is the first time they’ve let sheer propulsion do that work for them. Rather than coating the songs in misty ambience, the duo encourage the individual parts and pieces to shine here. Who knows how Parts 3 & 4 will pay that off — Rose & Quartz, respectively, with Rose having just dropped on vinyl — but as is, Parts 1 & 2 is an intense, crystalline expansion of the duo’s signature nightmare sounds.

- Rue Sauvage