Troller

In the cassette underground, there are a few gems released every year that rise to the top of the pile. These ultra-limited, yet undeniably striking, spools of magnetic tape cry out to be reissued in a quantity large enough for the masses to appreciate the greatness of the music contained therein. The self-titled debut from dark synth wizards Troller was a prime example of this phenomenon, and the Holodeck imprint (who released the initial cassette and co-released this vinyl reissue) has given this miasma of brooding synths and crystalline drum machine rhythms a second chance. One of the first elements one notices as Troller unfolds is just how powerful this music is. The synth arrangements are noticeably larger than life and Amber Star Ormand's vocal wails lock horns with the listener's soul. Yet not all is doom and gloom, specifically the catchy "Winter," in which the melodies become almost angelic. It's undeniable: Troller is an album that breathes fresh life into the shrivelled corpse that is the dark synth genre.