source	creator	size
dot:alt	xvs	09

 

 

 

miocene are a band that are much like the 'art-house' section in video rental shops - misunderstood, and therefore ignored and lumped into a generalized, unspecific category. however, having said that, the band have gathered a strong elite following since the release of their debut mini-album refining the theory.  the CD succeeded in layering metal riffage with textures and ambience, and vocalist ben's singing sounded somewhat like maynard keenan of tool. this small factor was picked up on by the mainstream rock press and has seen miocene perpetually followed, like a bad smell, by the tag of tool-wannabes (to quote kerrang's review of one of their gigs,  'the poor man's tool').  while refining the theory was not completely ground-breaking, it was still very good...

 

miocene have been known to associate with concepts and styles that transcend rock and metal, having once played a live soundtrack to darren aranofsky's film pi, the original soundtrack of which features the likes of aphex twin and roni size. the emergence of this, the band's second release, cellular memory, proves beyond a shadow of a doubt miocene's will and ability to experiment. to say this record is a departure for Miocene is an understatement.

 

the EP opens with a monk-like chanting intro interweaved with human screams, both atmospheric and confounding, though it possibly lasts a tad too long. katie sierra is instrumental, as most of the rest of the EP, and is based on simplistic electronic drum beats, synth organs and a defined and organic bassline. the track is reminiscent of some of sunna's trip-hop moments, sounding like a darker, more sinister massive attack.

 

state of flux is one of the two tracks on cellular memory that sound somewhat more like the miocene of old, with epic vocals, reminiscent of, ahem, tool, dark-as-fuck bass rumbles and so much texture! the real masterpiece of progression on this EP is tradition is just another word for the collective habit, which is a long, winding corridor of beats and tones. the track opens with breaky live drumming, which mutates into a squarepusher-esque broken drum'n'bass beat, with echoes of horns and trumpets flowing in and out of the song. tradition... is a perfect example of how well miocene have managed to fuse the organic with the electronic on cellular memory.

 

the harpie and the preacher is another track with slightly more obvious guitars and hints of miocene's metal background. it is both stripped-down to the bear minimum of metal, and layered at the same time. why metal sucks in 2002 is a take on dj shadow's 'why hiphop sucks in 1996'. the track stays true to shadow's playfully jazzy composition - miocene's version features horns, cellos and a clarinet; a musical fuck-you to their traditional metal contemporaries. the track ends, as does dj shadow's original, with 'it's the money!', summing up miocene's stance on the current state of the metal genre.

 

if in the past there were doubts about miocene's originality, cellular memory confidently proves the skeptics wrong. often, when a rock band moves into a genre alien to them, be that leftfield or something else, the material they deliver is but a poor imitation of it, and does not live up to the genre's existing standards. for example, rap-metal was heavily criticized by both metal and hiphop purists for compromising both genres and therefore cheapening them. with cellular memory, miocene have delivered an original and progressive album of electronica and programmed beats, without abandoning the dark and textured sound of metal. and for £2.99 from virgin megastores, this EP comes highly recommended.

 

Sounds Like:  stripped-down, textured guitars and dark electronic experimentation