ASLEEP OR INSANE

BAKELIT is the new project founded by Carl Westholm, known for his avant-garde CARPTREE albums.

"The Coolest Place on Earth" opens with a disconcerting, electro-syncopated sound; the vocals are in sync, letting their words flow over the orchestration with a catchy chorus from the start; a mix of prog art-rock, velvety keyboards, then vintage, assisted by Cia, who worked in the equally incredible JUPITER SOCIETY; in short, a slap in the face that feels good. "Remember Who You Are" features this vocal duo, the band's strongest, navigating between sung, whispered, and high voices; a nod to the distant sounds of the '60s for the choruses, a reminiscence of new-wave electro sounds, rich and swirling, with Carl playing with genres. The vocals become dramatic, speaking of the fading environment, the sound drastic. "Two Living Things" with that austere, dark, mysterious keyboard again; the sound pleasantly reminds me of CARPTREE's; the track blends industrial prog, electro, and dark wave prog; the break with Cia sharply interrupts this sensation, giving it height; the languid keyboard and Lars' tribal pad build to a unique, captivating crescendo. The bass vibrates, the theremin does the same, adding to the solemnity, imbuing the album with an evolving conceptual effect. "Asleep or Insane" has a cinematic sci-fi vibe from the start; its languid, dark, heady, almost mantranesque sound, on KILLING JOKE and JOY DIVISION. The chorus is enlivened with martial choirs; a keyboard tinkering worthy of AMAROK flirting with an intergenerational sound; a dreamlike and enjoyable break.

"My Punishment" or the conceptually Dantesque intro; GABRIEL era 'III', BOWIE, an aggressive, grinding sound, wanting to hit the listener on our life on earth. The chorus of the refrain hypnotizes, a vocoder emerges, a bit of 'The Wall' in the distance, CHURCHILL preacher. The martial drums amplify the despair, we will be punished; the emphasis is on the velvety synths and the choirs. "This World Belongs to Me" changes tone, metronomic AYREON electro, like a war machine, with superimposed languid, pleading voices. The intimate synthetic piece which explodes moderately on a melancholic crescendo; the sound makes me think of the glacial DEPECHE MODE of 'Music for the Masses' before the finale where the hypnotic choirs and the metallic guitar remind us that this world belongs to us after all. "Silence is Weakening My Thoughts," with its drums, echoes the somber air of Lucassen's work, and its heavy sound; a crescendo with the guitar and keyboards in a duo?yes, it's not just Cia and Öivin who do this. The sound also recalls the work of CEN PROJEKT in its darkest form. "Death Without Angels," a latent electro intro, coming from the Heavens; the message reminding us that we are trapped, this album is coldly real, darkly atmospheric, and strangely premonitory. A deafening bass, a cruel chorus, a heady track; the apocalyptic evolution is measured, controlled, the hope of seeing an unrealizable happy ending. The haunting title track, with a message from the Theremin announcing a possible end without going through the angels, is a long, dark and beautiful crescendo.

BAKELIT is a blend of captivating music, with a touch of progressive dark wave, art rock, and dark contemplative rock. A beautiful album offering a strong, tenacious sound, reminiscent of the aforementioned bands. Originally published on Profilprog.