Artist: 120 Days
Title: 120 Days II
Record Label: Splendour
Rating: 8.1

Norway’s musical output isn’t just about black metal and burning down churches. Oh no, Norway boasts a rather compelling four piece under the moniker 120 Days, that side steps all the black hair dye and visits to graveyards. If you think Xtrmntr era Primal Scream, merged with the precise electronics of Kraftwerk and then the charm of New Order, you’ve got this Norwegian quartet. Originally known as The Beautiful People, the gang of four have released a brace of EPs and are soon to follow up their debut 120 Days with its successor, 120 Days II.

Occasionally with electronic music, the digital waves of noise can feel detached and aloof, as the machine element can be embraced too much. Luckily, with 120 Days they don’t fall into this trap. The electronics are very much at the forefront of this second outing, however, there is enough haemoglobin coursing through these robot veins to bring their android rock to life.Opener ‘Spacedoubt’ channels the darker limits of electro punk with its raucous melee, all underpinned by a gargling synth line borrowed straight from Tron.

120 Days manage to flit between digital calm and electronic chaos at the drop of a hat, making this sophomore effort a throbbing journey of ecstasy. The ‘Lucid Dream’ trilogy found at the heart of the record is testament to the bands ever evolving soundscapes. This trilogy is broken down into three separate parts that link together to create one sprawling expanse. This mechanical odyssey begins channelling serenity but as time progresses, the obscure sounds and crashing noises collide to create
an aural journey to remember.

What better way to bring this LP to a conclusion, than a track titled, ‘Osaka’? You can almost feel the
kinetic energy emanating from the neon pavements as this future/retro cacophony pulses and drones.This is where the four piece make the contemporary and retro lines blur. The hip hop style beats ring out the future while the ghostly synths beckon in the past. A lot like Japan, 120 Days bolster an appeal that is future thinking but has a retro magnetism.

Words and Thoughts of Adam Williams