- The Waiting Room is a lullaby that's gone very wrong indeed. It's a place where something nasty is about to happen, but never quite does. It rivals the Japanese version of Ring in terms of unease and recalls the unsettling mood of David Lynch's Twin Peaks. Generically, it's minimal house, but don't expect the Berlin sound or clicky percussion: this is far superior and vastly more interesting than that.
It takes a few listens to get past what might appear to be quite straightforward minimal. But once you do you'll discover background noises in the form of hovering UFOs, effects that resemble pages of white noise being torn up and vocals that sound like they've been spoken backwards then played forwards. Some tracks veer into downright eerie territory, but even the most apparently innocent cuts, like opener 'The Waiting Room' and 'Beneath the Underground' are too icy, too clinical to be of comfort. Chloe is like a Siren: she lures you in but you're not entirely sure you want to be near her. It's a pleasing contradiction.
Elsewhere 'It's Sunday' encapsulates the marching paranoia of a horrific comedown ("It's Sunday, I don't like it...I'm alone”) better than anything I've ever heard. It also gives The Velvet Underground's 'Heroin' a run for it's money as the number one musical representation of a drug experience. Other tracks on The Waiting Room have more than a shade of Ellen Allien about them, not that that could be a bad thing. 'Amour' resembles 'Jet' from 'Orchestra of Bubbles' only gone more wrong and awry whilst 'Be Kind to Me' recalls the city scapes of Berlinette.
'Get close' says Chloe. You should, but not too close.
Tracklist01 The Waiting Room
02 I Want You
03 Be Kind To Me
04 It's Sunday
05 Common Cello
06 Around The Clock
07 No One Can Be
08 Suspended
09 Amour
10 Dead End
11 Beneath The Underground
12 Over The Dose
13 Brashov
14 Womb To Tomb
15 The Door