4D

When you think of music emanating from Inuit communities, you think of throat singing and, well, not much else. Throat singing certainly captures a certain aspect of Inuit culture, but this project captures the isolation that comes from living and working in the Great White North. 4D is actually one man (Dominick Lareau), who lives and works in the vast area of Nunavik. The music is all Lareau, and his strained and manipulated voice pops up on all tracks. The music itself is a huge haze of slight, feedback-driven guitars, strained electronics and, on occasion, some pounding, industrial-sounding drums. Opener "Les Morts-Vivant Sifflent” is the most melodic thing here and the only one that skirts the description of "catchy,” with its cascading guitar and menacing bass line keeping the tension cool and detached. "Suvit?” is more what the rest of this album feels like, or a whole mess of instruments thrown together in a morass of organisation. Isolation can lead to inspired things but another set of ears might be a good thing once in a while.