With
Fuck Buttons and as
Blanck Mass,
Benjamin John Power has always had a gift for channeling intense emotions with instrumentation that's often thought of as cold and clinical. In particular, his solo work for
Sacred Bones uses electronics to plunge into compelling moods -- the surprising sensuality of
Dumb Flesh, the outrage of
World Eater, and the juxtapositions of grief, horror, and humor on
Animated Violence Mild. That album title is both a warning and a promise: The violent streak in
Power's music is well-known, and extremely well-represented here by "Death Drop," a lengthy assault that incorporates the relentless thrust of industrial metal's double kick drums and throat-shredding vocals and some of the
BBC Radiophonic Workshop's whooshing sound design into a juggernaut full of crazed intensity and deadpan wit. However,
Power is just as skilled at finding the beauty in destruction, and that side of his music takes the lead on
Animated Violence Mild. Huge, immediate synth melodies dominate tracks such as "House vs. House," which even adds actual verses and choruses to
Blanck Mass' music with results that call to mind
HEALTH's doomsday pop, and "No Dice," where crashing beats and chromatic percussion twinkle like broken glass. As on his previous albums,
Animated Violence Mild showcases
Power's mastery of complex combinations of sounds and moods. "Creature/West Fuqua" shifts from a deluge of synths to harp and the fractured vocal samples
Power used so well on
World Eater to fascinating effect; while it's the album's shortest song, it might be the most unnerving. On the standout "Love Is a Parasite,"
Power reimagines "Death Drop"'s fury as a club-ready banger with a lunging beat and surprisingly jaunty handclaps. He brings the album full circle with "Wings of Hate," a finale that sounds anthemic and furious in both senses of the word. In many ways,
Animated Violence Mild feels like the inevitable sequel to
World Eater. Where that album used the full force of
Power's music to rail against the world's injustices, this one reflects the resignation, frustration, and emotional overload of its time in its startling and moving tracks. ~ Heather Phares
