Horizontal

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David Hodgson's chosen title 'Horizontal' is, for me, an appropriate one. It doesn't so much describe the position one should acquire during listening (quite the opposite) but the path the music takes. From the opening clatters of 'Weightless' to the closing tones of 'Fight Scene' one never quite feels pulled in to a sonic journey (not to say one should). As soon as the first beats are dropped you're confronted with a barrage of persistent intensity. The drum patterns seem to systematically layer sometimes substituting one rhythm for another. The inorganic machine at the stage front. Throughout their given six minutes each track sees filthy, textured bass and scathing synths relentlessly looped so that they sustain a monochromatic wash. This all makes for a very dark soundtrack, and perhaps, indeed, that's what it is. The short stabs of sci-fi, that offer slight relief, certainly suggest this, though Hodgson's day job is the greatest clue. With the design of computer games any musical accompaniment is there to offer a mood. It never leads but moulds to the feel of the play, the 'game' seeking attention with its incessant demand for focus. So maybe all that's missing from the wonderful world of puppy is a visual foreground. Quite what it would consist of is an unknown and exists only in the head of Hodgson's alter-ego Puppy. For now you'll have to play your own mind games.