Five Minutes by Le Morte d'Abby
Nine impeccable Lentzian techno-diamonds form this blisteringly danceable project, the latest and greatest release from Triplicate mainstay le Morte d'Abby. At this point, you already know you're about to consume some of the finest underground electronica you can get your hands on, but we maintain you're not ready for the lofty heights reached on this cool gem of a record.
* ** *** ** *** ** *
INTERVIEW
* ** *** ** *** ** *
George Ernst (Triplicate Records): Can you tell us a little bit about the title?
Abigail Lentz (Le Morte d'Abby): I was working on the track, Exaltation, for a Discord comp. It was almost 9 minutes long when I finished it. 7 to 8 minute tracks were the norm for me. But those on the Discord thought it was too long. So, after 2 edits I got it down to the 5:08 it is now. In the end, they wanted something less than 4 minutes. That was too much. But I liked the result and took up the challenge to do a full release with every track running 5 minutes (and change).
GE: What's scarier, an angry bear or 17 slightly ill-tempered badgers?
AL: The badgers, if they’re zerging badgers. If not, the bear.
GE: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much fun were you having looping that cool groove on 'Impatient'?
AL: Total 10. I had only intended to play through that loop twice as a false drop. Hanging there with some tension. Then a real drop and move on. But, when the kick came back in the first time, it struck me that there was something else there. And, as I layered on top of it, something slightly new came out each time. It seemed to syncopate really well with the percussion. So, I alternated layering on the looping sequence and expanding the heavy reverb’ing pad. You’re so focused on the growing sound of the loop, that the swelling pad is sitting in the back unnoticed until the end.
GE: You've previously dealt in cosmic titles like 'Woe to the Earth', 'A Mystery to Myself', 'Paroxysms', 'Constant of Gravitation', 'Ascendance of the False Prophet'. I couldn't hope but notice that the songs on Five Minutes seem to follow more grounded nominative themes. Did that just sorta happen or did you go into it wanting to make something more grounded?
AL: “Waiting” was a track I did almost entirely on my laptop while I waited for the dealer to change the oil in my truck. It felt like I had to. And it set the one for naming the rest.
GE: What's scarier, the cold, hollow and relentless call of the terrible abyss or 17 slightly ill-tempered badgers again?
AL: All I can think of is what Shadow says in “American Gods” after dying on the tree and having his heart weighed. “I want to rest now. That’s what I want. I want nothing. No heaven, no hell, no anything. Just let it end.”
GE: We're very much of the opinion that you've outdone yourself once again, how do you feel about the way 'Five Minutes' turned out? I assume you must be quite pleased?
AL: I am very happy with the way it came out. I think it’s the first time I’ve been able to consistently coax out what I would call “my sound”. Every track is solid. Excited to hear what people think!
* ** *** ** *** ** *
REVIEW
* ** *** ** *** ** *
We've had 'I Am', 'Impermanence', 'Orbital Mechanics', 'In Those Days', and now 'Five Minutes'. No one could accuse Abigail Lentz, producer extraordinaire behind the le Morte d'abby project of sloth. She lives and breathes music. It flows from her boards like magic from a ley-line. Shimmering and mesmerizing, always delighting. Of course 'Five Minutes' delivers on the lofty expectations of what came before it. You already knew that. Her track record is impeccable.
It's an arpeggio-laden techno-romp we're first treated to, under the title 'All I Have'; an utterly unpretentious banger with no allusions of purpose beyond what it needs to do: start things off impeccably. Cool percussive exploration, synths floaty and sharp, striding out the gate with deserved peacock-esque confidence; it's everything you want for your opening tune.
'Leaving' pumps the breaks somewhat, but don't worry, things aren't grinding to a halt or anything. 'All I Have' was laser-focused on delivering a blistering banger with a powerful sense of immediacy. On 'Leaving', you'll hear actual lasers! Lentz is able to relax proceedings a little bit, but it's not long before the textures and melodies settle into a tight and engaging beat. God I've missed these beats...
'Decisive', aside from being an annoying word to spell, comes third, and turns up the weirdness factor a little with glitchy percussion and cool reverby bells, without sacrificing any of the forward momentum and inherent coolness of a le Morte d'abby project. 'Waiting' on the other hand, lives up to its name, and offers a longer and more contemplative introduction, before giving over to a woozy breakbeat, danced-over with ethereal pads and futuristic sounding arpeggi. It's an instant classic in the venerable Lentzian cannon, especially around the halfway mark when the cool bassy switch-up happens and you're suddenly in a PS2 stealth game.
'Late Onset' almost seems to pick up this effortlessly cool, espionage theme and run with it. The acid-tinged instrumentation certainly seems to revel in this. 'Five Minutes' of course works perfectly well as intended: a badass techno record that'll knock your brain into next Tuesday, but there's a lingering sense that you're listening to an incredible video game soundtrack to some critically acclaimed game you've never heard of.
Next up, 'Impatient', with a truly glorious chord progression and groove that builds itself up meticulously, and soars for a satisfyingly long amount of time. You know when a song has that one bit you really like, and to your delight it just takes that cool groove and runs with it forever? That's 'Impatient'. Absolute banger, as is 'After the Fact'. A sharp and snappy melodic detour that switches up the sweetness of the previous tune for a more mysterious atmosphere, punctuated with powerfully punchy drum work that, along with the wild rhythm-focused instrumentation, forms something equal parts psychedelic and dance-worthy.
I'd say 'things start to wind down a bit' with 'His Own Nature', but in truth, even on the penultimate composition there's no sign of letting up. Lentz clearly went into this wanting to craft a wall of good, reliable beat-focused numbers, and she's (unsurprisingly) excelled. The wonderfully odd high-octave synth hits the ear strange at first, then is instantly absorbed, transformed and incorporated beautifully into the tense, shimmering mix, and it becomes increasingly apparent that Lentz is incapable of making a dud.
Finally, the Bandcamp bonus tune, which I'll be treating as the canonical closer, 'Exaltation' gives us a memorable and extremely enjoyable ending; one that at this point, you'll certainly feel entitled to and expect going into it. Every aspect of the production here reflects Lentz firing on all cylinders; the pleasingly-textured growling acid bass; the super fast BOOM-BOOM-TSHHH-CHK-A-CHK-A-CHK-TSHHHH'; the cosmically glorious interplay of the choir-esque pads... long story short, she saved the best for last, on this record that most certainly stands astride the four solid Pillars of 'I Am', 'Impermanence', 'Orbital Mechanics', 'In Those Days'. Instantly loveable record.
Tracklist
| 1. | All I Have | 5:46 |
| 2. | Leaving | 5:25 |
| 3. | Decisive | 5:42 |
| 4. | Waiting | 5:42 |
| 5. | Late Onset | 5:46 |
| 6. | Impatient | 5:42 |
| 7. | After the Fact | 5:53 |
| 8. | His Own Nature | 5:25 |
| 9. | Exaltation | 5:08 |
Credits
Written & Produced by Abigail Lentz
Mastered by Michael Southard
Artwork by Bryan Kraft
