Halon - Assault on Tower 61
(Silent North)
Sadly, this album has nothing to do with the underseen John Carpenter classic Assault on Precinct 13, the follow-up to his first and only masterpiece, Halloween. Though not as gripping or resonant as Halloween, Assault on Precinct 13 is another stripped down, visceral piece of faceless fear and violence, and is scored by Carpenter himself, whose awkward, spare keyboard compositions are weirdly perfect for the film.
Halon have some keyboards, I guess, and some darkness, but no Bill Shatner mask (or multi-racial gang alliance to siege a few stragglers trapped inside an abandoned Los Angeles police station). But they have what Carpenter never has: that swing. Built on a rock solid drums and bass foundation, Halon weave their way through murky, atmospheric grooves, augmented variously by, it seems, whatever is at hand: samples, keyboards, guitars, etc. Their structures are loose and open, allowing them to follow the groove wherever it may lead them.
Sometimes this really works, like on the epic "The Keys," where a simple little three part bass line expands and contracts over the space of nine minutes as treated samples and skittering drums orbit around that off-kilter center. However, as the album wears on, the abstraction grows a bit thin. A bit of fat trimming or occasional intensified focus might do some good.
As it is, Assault on Tower 61 is a weird spook alley that is less effective as it wears on. It is, however, worth a listen for those interested in spacey dark atmospheres.
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