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Nadja

Skin Turns To Glass

Written by: PP on 07/04/2008 14:26:21

Montreal ambient doom duo Nadja released \"Skin Turns To Glass\" already in 2003, though only as a limited edition, 120-copy pressing, making it one of the most obscure recordings this magazine has reviewed to date. The songs have since then been re-recorded and are now given a proper release through The End Records with better production and more ambitious execution.

\"Skin Turns To Glass\" is quite a mouthful, considering the first track measures at 14 minutes, second at 18, third at 19, and the final untitled track at 28 minutes - a reviewer\'s nightmare so to say. Especially when the term ambient doom perfectly describes the minimalist approach that Nadja has in songwriting. The songs start quietly and drone on forever until their signature fragile distortion arrives, creating a messy, somewhat surreal soundscape in combination with the faint drums and the occasional creepy vocal work. During the title track it\'s easy to imagine yourself standing at the gates of heaven awaiting your judgment, which I guess was the aim of the band in the first place. Well that or an attempt at creating something \'eerily beautiful\', though I\'d rather describe the music as ethereal or psychedelic instead. Listening to the painfully slow progression slapped on the chaotic atmosphere must feel similar to having an acid trip, or at least the way that they describe it in various movies.

The album works when you have time to pay attention to the guitar\'s crushing heaviness and the hallucinatory atmosphere of the record. It doesn\'t work when you don\'t have time to listen to the songs as a whole, and lets be honest here for a minute: I know of few people who can afford to slap 17 minutes straight on just one song. While it\'s relatively easy to understand Nadja\'s goals on \"Skin Turns To Glass\", and to an extent the band has achieved those goals, the uncomfortable surrealism of their sound is just a bit too much for most people.

Download: Skin Turns To Glass
For the fans of: Switchblade, Sunn O))), Pelican
Listen: Myspace
Buy: iTunes

Release date 01.04.2008
The End Records