Music Review: "No More Dystopias" by WHITENOISE
Tim Holland is at it again. You may know him as the politically-charged hip hop artist Sole, but for WHITENOISE, his latest project, you can forget all you know about him. This time around he doesn't utter a word. Strictly instrumental, his upcoming album titled "No More Dystopias" is really unlike anything he's ever released.
If you've been following TrashMutant.com closely over the last year, you're probably wondering how Holland manages to release 3 albums (we reviewed "A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing" and "No Wising Up, No Settling Down") in the span of 10 months. Well, the truth is WHITENOISE has been in the making for a lot longer than that. The tracks that make up "No More Dystopias" started their life many years ago, as beats that kept being worked on and developed until they took a life of their own, and started functioning better as 'instrumental' music than as tracks to rap to. Holland's wife, Yasamin, helped out with the arrangements, playing keyboard on most of the album. "No More Dystopias" uses samples from a variety of sources, from Mujahideen videos, to pop music and sci-fi movies like "Robocop" and the record has a heavy, industrial sound. It could easily be a soundtrack for an indie science fiction/horror movie. Right from the first song, "Abattoir", there are moments on the record that are very subtle and even hopeful, and they're coupled with hard-hitting, cold beats. The soundscape of the album can often become overhwelming, with the robotic, inhuman sounds and samples blasting at you, but at the same time WHITENOISE can sound almost dreamlike and trance-inducing ("Suicide Machine"). It's a very odd combination, but it's clear that nothing here was left to chance, and Sole's production skills are completely apparent. These are not hip hop beats, these are fully flashed-out compositions, with a clear direction. The name of this project comes from a novel by Dan Delillo about "how real fear and imagined fear endangers our society". It's not just the project's name that relates to these societal issues - track names like "Sunset Over a BP Oil Spill", "Military Entertainment Complex" and "Fallujah" make it clear what was on Sole's mind while creating the album. The last song I mentioned is also the one that will be the most "approachable" for the casual listener. It features a weird, danceable beat peppered with distorted samples tuning in and out. It stands out from the tracks on "No More Dystopias", but it absolutely fits the record. It's also been mashed with the hazy "Military Entertainment Complex" to form the album's first single. Check the video below, featuring Eddie Van Halen playing guitar in front of atomic explosions, white phosphorous bombardment, ballet dancers and Saddam's trial. Try not to trip balls too hard. In other parts of the album, when there are signs of a traditional melody, like in "A.D.H.D. A.D.", it sounds as if it's coming from ruined speakers, burried underground. It sounds like something essentially human, wanting to rise from within the heavy, industrial noise. At the risk of sounding like the most pompous person to ever review an instrumental album, I'll say I interpret it as a triumph of humanity sort of thing, which is especially interesting considering the industrial sound of "No More Dystopias". That feeling of very human emotions emerging from a grimm, cold soundscape is present throughout the album. It's got soul. If one of the goals here was (as the press release for the album states) "to illustrate ways "instrumental music" can provide an apt canvas to reflect on "critical" sentiment in song form in a far less heavy-handed way then a rap song", then "No More Dystopias" is a complete success. WHITENOISE communicates with subtlety, with impressions and feelings that are universal, and shouldn't really be misunderstood. WHITENOISE is without a doubt a niche project. It should not be dismissed as a "rapper's weird side project" - it succeeds in creating a completely unique, fully-developed soundscape. It's not the type of record you keep bumping until you know it by heart, playing it to your friends at a party or anything like that. Most likely not even every Sole fan will be into it. That's all well and good, since I think that comes with the territory with an album like that. It's a very atmospheric record, it's weird, haunting and in some ways it's more engaging than a hip hop album. It may not have vocals, but this isn't something you can turn on and go about your business. It will demand your attention and suck you right in. Make your own opinion! The entire album is currently streaming on Sole's Bandcamp, and you can buy it from there. The release date is September 17th, and it will be available both digitally and on cassette. For more Sole, go to his website, catch him on Twitter or on Facebook. Heard WHITENOISE's "No More Dystopias"? Leave your thoughts below! 
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