Musicians are often reinventing themselves. The way their music is written, recorded, and sounds is ever changing. One such artist is vleed, who has released The Corner of Nothing on the 25th of July. The Corner of Nothing is a breakaway from 2018’s Destruir Todo in almost every aspect. vleed has both musically and technically moved into a new direction. This outing is a blend of industrial and IDM, intended to be a deep interpretation of what music means. And that interpretation is left entirely up to the listener.
The Corner of Nothing starts with an introduction, simply titled “Introduction” and is spacey and digital with excellent indie guitar tones. It sets up well for the next song, “Miscellany.” Seemingly already a favorite among fans, it is danceable, but with heavier industrial parts. “Miscellany” serves as a callback to the 1990’s era rave scene. “In Vortex” speeds up the tempo a little, but does not skip on the gritty and dark feeling of the entire album. “Perception” is a nice little electronic interlude at only 14 seconds in length. This leads to the softer “I’m Out of Here,” which gives astral sensations. “Banned” sneaks in some very welcomed acoustic guitar that builds to some fuzz laden heaviness. “I Think I Broke Something” heavily uses electronic elements and is the most traditional Industrial sounding song of the album. “Flexible” is very drum focused and is driven by great rhythm.
While leaving the interpretation of each song up to the listener, it gives the ability to conjure any sort of imagery as an accompaniment. A prime example is “What If I Don’t Want To Talk On The Phone?,” which brings with it dreams of space and sci-fi landscapes; yet nothing in the title would suggest that as the intended purpose. “Seeking The Point” continues this trend on the back half of the album. It has classic Hip-Hop beats layered with celestial electronic melodies in a fantastic blend of sounds. “Dead City” slightly returns to that uptempo, yet dark sound with its elongated synth hanging in the background. “Shockwaves” is chaotic, yet rhythmic, as if experimental jazz was made in outer space. To finish up the album, “Flooded” is very electronic. It has a dancing rhythm and a steady build to a sudden stop to end the song.
The Corner of Nothing is a great album to get lost in. A kaleidoscope of imagery can be imagined and conjured on each listen. In no way is this review, and single perspective, a finite telling of what this album, or the artist, vleed, truly are. All of that is left up to the individual interpretation of the listener. And, that interpretation may change, depending on mood, time of day, volume, attention given, or any other gambit of things that could change the way things are perceived. The Corner of Nothing is currently available on Bandcamp, and will soon be available on Spotify.