What does Iglooghost sound like?

Metal machine electronic with a punk grit.

The review of ‘Bronze Claw Iso’ by Iglooghost

If you haven’t experienced Iglooghost’s rich world of music, then you are in for a treat. Each release harks back to a fictional lore for a world Iglooghost has created. After exploring the sea and archives in his previous LP, now it’s the turn of construction work. This album is called ‘Crane Musik’ in the anthology of Iglooghost’s work. That means metallic, industrial beats and harsh, angular rhythmic aggression are brought to the forefront.

photo of Iglooghost — Iglooghost – photo by Daist Warne

This release has a distinct Windows 95 undertone to it. The opening title track is a minute of odd retro synth effects and spoken word that evokes a nostalgic shopping channel feel to it. It serves as the extended intro to the lead single ‘Xcavator.03’. This banger is heavy on beats, bass, metallic slaps, and filtered vocals made to sound like guzzling gurgle spoken word punk. The beats are like laser gun zaps, and the synths channel machinery sounds in a clever and somewhat tuneful way.

Slower, but with a swaggerous sway to it is ‘Mouthbreath-r’. This track reminds me of his ‘XYZ’ album with Kai Whiston & BABii. Between the pulsating white noise synth and vaporwave-adjacent keyboard bleeds, things feel cool yet empty with a lamenting, low-key desperation. It sounds like how cranes would hook up at a seedy nightclub. Keeping it seedy and somewhat dangerous-sounding, ‘Slug Song’ is a punky, nimble industrial drum and bass hybrid piece. Robotic squirts, sizzles, and bleeps vibrate the speakers as they are filtered around the quick beats and chopped up vocals. Think Tom Vek going deeper underground and you’ll be in the right ballpark. That leaves us with ‘Metal Newt’ as the closer. This track embraces the mixture of 90s club synths, elements of vaporwave, and the idea of what future sci-fi sounds would sound like at the time. Expect CD-ROM transitional sounds as melodic riffs, and seemingly random robo-vocals that speak of crane musik and other lore-related messages. It’s a twisted bop and a great way to sign off a complex EP.

With every release, we get a different sound, with a spread of culture, exploration, and something that feels familiar yet always alien. Iglooghost continues to be one of the most creative shape-shifters in electronic music. This EP clicked with me immediately, and is the perfect companion to last year’s ‘Tidal Memory Exo’. Both are brash, bold, aggressive, and uncompromising in their twisted dance between domineering power and emotion. Iglooghost shows you can balance both, and does so with aplomb on this release.

Recommended track: Xcavator.03

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