333's Bicameral Brain

The strangely named 333 have been making some of the strangest music you'll ever hear for longer than I can remember. This unit of post apocalyptic musicians create a world in which doom is the norm and abandoning hope the ideal. They make sounds that tend to drone on and on in an eternal and hopeless struggle to escape the underworld; happy campers they are not. Their latest album Bicameral Brain is an epic two CD set of ambient noodling that would seem appropriate for the final invasion and colonization of earth by aliens.

This is a huge, epic, all encompassing record that's so laden with atmosphere that it almost collapses from the weight of the songs. This is a record that washes over you like a never ending tsunami of depression. If you had to nail down Bicameral Brain in four words it would be thought provoking, doomy, and expansive. With songs that stretch beyond the outer points of our comprehension and riffs to go along with that Bicameral Brain is a record that could seemingly play in the background for the rest of humanity's existence without much notice. It's epic stuff that echos around your brain like a bouncing ping pong ball potentially giving you a migraine.

333 are not the type of band that's on a never ending quest for the spotlight, rather, they lurk in the shadows creating the ambiance of every day life and the end of it. Whether or not they're clinically depressed can be debated, but what can't be is that this group are experts at creating wandering atmospherics that are stirring, haunting and apocalyptic. If these are the end of days, than 333 are the house band for humanity's extinction.

333 Is Their Lucky Number

Despite having a name very similar to one of John Cage's classic compositions, 3:33 sound nothing like him. These instrumental musicians create electronic frontiers that sound as sparse and minimal as space itself and as scary as the vastness of the galaxy as well. Oh wait…maybe they are John Cage.

Their record, 333EP-1, is a series of minimal spooky environments that clang, clank, and rattle through the heavens toward the edge of the universe. Will they get there or will they burn up along the way? It's up to your imagination as 3:33 take you on a journey of sounds and atmospheres that will drive your mind insane.

333EP-1 is impressive stuff that conveys a message and a sense of foreboding without a word around. Its widescreen soundscapes are layered, chopped, and frightening to listen to in a dark room. It's entertaining stuff that would be perfect for Event Horizon 2 or Resident Evil 39. With song titles that all have a running theme of 3, the songs and titles tend to blend together into one giant continually evolving trippy experience that despite being only 20 minutes long sounds like it could go on for an eternity.

Beats, found sounds and electronic squiggles all contribute to making 333EP-1 a fascinating listen. It might not be the feel good hit of the spring, but it is undoubtedly one of the most imaginative records you are likely to hear. My only advice is not to listen to this alone or in a dark room...because it will scare you.