[reviews] afe066lcd
ornament: unicorn lullaby

Self-released in a very limited number of copies in 2000, "Unicorn Lullaby" was Davide Del Col's third release as Ornament, after the tape "Strychninelovenectar" and the "Adorers" CD-R on Oktagon, both from 1999.

A third CD-R ("Yzaniaveis", Blade Records, 2002) and an mp3 album ("Effortless", 2003) followed, and the project is currently on hold, while Del Col plays in the electronic-industrial duo Echran.

Of all his solo releases, "Unicorn Lullaby" is still my favourite one, and I'm glad that Afe Records is re-releasing it, giving it a much deserved wider exposure. The layout, originally quite primitive, has been totally remade, and the new Lovecraftian images suit Ornament's style very well.

"Unicorn Lullaby" is, in my opinion, the most successful blend of Del Col's major influences, i.e. loop-based rhythmic industrial à la Deutsch Nepal/Stratvm Terror, and more droning dark ambient. The result is a kind of cyclic, trance inducing ritual music, based on the repetition of manipulated samples.

While the following "Yzaniaveis" was more serene, "Unicorn Lullaby" still features 100% nocturnal music, full of oneiric and disquieting soundscapes, as in the little masterpiece "From Concealed Gardens". While the tension is constant throughout, the more pounding and aggressive industrial elements lay in the background, only occasionally resurfacing (as in "Masked Complicity").

The work is still quite a head trip after all these years, and I honestly hope that Del Col unburies his solo project sooner or later.

[Eugenio Maggi]