Leyland Kirby, who began primarily as a noise artist, has expanded his horizons toward original and breathtaking ambient music. In June, Kirby released An Empty Bliss Beyond This World under his more well-known pseudonym, The Caretaker, inspired by the haunted ballroom scene in “The Shining.” Composed of hauntingly beautiful ballroom dance edits, the record is based on a study of Alzheimer patients’ ability to recall the songs of their pasts, and with them, their recollections of places, people and sensations. Known for his creativity, Kirby centers his projects on a particular theme and each one is wrought with emotion adapted to the particular situation, in this case, death and despair.
His new project, The Stranger, shows a new side of Kirby. Tense with destruction and hopelessness, Watching Dead Empires in Decay is a post-apocalyptic record that leaves one feeling cold and unsettled. The opener, “We Are Enemies But Not Here,” echoes noise, static and dissonant percussion in the empty aftermath of a once great society. Fittingly, the album’s cover is of a sole monochromatic building. Abandoned and alone, the artwork reflects the mood of the entire record. The majority of tracks hum together in one elongated static drone, however, the album picks up with the nerve-racking “Spiral Of Decline.” As the panic sets in, so does the intensity and grainy guitar. “Providence or Fate” is an enigma. What brought society to this state of confusion and anguish? Was it by some divine guidance or was it because we, ourselves, were our own demise? Dark ambience seeps through this track as the emphasis on deep, chilling drone fades into static.
Overall, Empires is a quiet and bleak reflection on the end of times. While listening to it repeatedly, Henry David Thoreau’s famous quotation reverberated in my mind, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
Rating: B
