The 9th of July saw the release of EP.3 by Blind Music – a label with one core ideal, anonymity. Without wishing to delve too much into the relative merits of this strategy, I thought it was best if I first take the advice on their Bandcamp and “look with my ears”.

Blind Music is a record label experiment. Every release on this label will be released anonymously and will stay that way. We live in a world of information overload. 144,800,000,000 emails are sent a day, 4,000,000,000 things are shared on Facebook a day. Blind Music aims to take it back to the just that, the music.

BLND#7 is an excellent choice for an opening track – the off-kilter staccato strings immediately signal to anyone listening that this entire release will be anything but boring. More orchestral instruments join the fray as the track descends into abject chaos around 32 bars in. I can honestly say I’ve not heard a better use of a timpani drum in all my life.

Following what can only be described as an assault of percussion, it’s a pleasant surprise when you’re greeted by a flock of birds; a kick drum and a marimba in BLND#8. Due to the unconventional palette the track initially feels a little bare, but the space is quickly filled out with a range of sounds that constantly demand your attention. The sparse drum breaks, the smashed glass, the rhythmic clattering – these foley effects produce a track that feels real. Not something generated by fortunate clicking in a DAW.

BLND#9 is far and away the least forthcoming of the whole release. I’ll try to avoid any fine wine references by simply saying it takes its time to get there, but you’ll be glad you waited. It seems to take endless cues from the days long since passed. The meandering structure. The haphazard manner in which the sounds are sliced. And most notable, the choice of samples. Each noise has a purpose, it’s not just there to fill up some arbitrary value in a spectrum analyser.

Currently, I cannot accurately convey why the final track pleases me so much. It’s brash. It’s incredibly messy and it’s got some insane mexican horns in it (that doesn’t sound too bad actually). Whenever it’s on I feel like I’m being transported to the Alamo – only to be rudely reminded every 32 bars or so that am in fact not listening to the soothing tones of a trompetista – I’m listening to BLND#10.

This EP may not be the most DJ-friendly, but what it lacks in accessibility it more than makes up for in sheer style. The unwavering commitment to present their music exclusively as an auditory experience is an interesting tactic, I just hope it is not seen as simply another cheap USP to gain undue intrigue.

– Conall (Inorganic Audio)