Before The Dark

By now, Domino Records surely deserve a place alongside Warp, Ninja Tune, Chemikal Underground et al in the front rank of British indie labels. From alt-rock figureheads such as Pavement and Sebadoh to brilliantly experimental electro mavericks like Max Tundra and Third Eye Foundation, they’ve put together one hell of a roster over the years. What’s more, the debut album from Glaswegian school chums Crawford Tait and Gregor Reid – aka Cinema Recorded Music Library – is yet another impressive addition to the Domino catalogue.

Although the pair claim that Before The Dark wasn’t conceived as a soundtrack to an imaginary film – which in any event is a concept that’s as hackneyed as they come these days – their work is nonetheless imbued with the atmospheric film score aesthetic. A mesmerising collage of music library, found sounds, Rhodes and breakbeat, Before The Dark has the shadowy, enigmatic character of classic late ’60s/early seventies movies like Klute and Point Blank, and Crawford and Tait clearly share a love for the magnificently spooky analog synth scores John Carpenter provided for his own films like Halloween and Assault On Precinct 13.

However, Before The Dark is far from being all doom and gloom. The record’s extremes are perhaps best encapsulated by the equally superb tracks ‘Reflections’ and ‘After Dark; whilst the former is a moody funk opus complete with disconcerting synth swells, the latter features a supremely danceable bass groove layered over a pulsating house rhythm. The panoramic vista can even take in harp glissandos and an Egyptian interlude on ‘Coming Up For Air’, before ‘The Dawn’ brings things to an appropriately elegant close.