Thin Films, Half Naked

CINEMATIC ELECTRONICA PAINTS A THOUSAND FILMS...

McRae's cinematic aspirations under his Thin Films moniker are far more photogenic than the B-movie hell of his namesake. His new EP Half Naked is a departure from his familiar windswept Arctic landscape but is nonetheless still as visually constructive as ever.

The title piece takes us on an instrumental trip into murky urban territory, crawling with nocturnal menace and pulsing tension. The Streets it ain't. The track opens with some delicate sparks of piano before McRae unleashes a baseline that quickly cranks up the atmos like a clockwork toy, leaving you poised for the frantic stabs of percussion to kick in. Those familiar Thin Films strings pepper the track, folding the imagery layer upon layer until the rhythm builds to a pursuit, pausing for a brief respite midway before the second wind where we're treated to some fantastic cyclic siren-like reverbs - aural adrenaline. Michael Keillor's accompanying video (featured on the limited edition CD+DVD release matches the sound perfectly; infection and persecution mix to create a short that could be described not dissimilar to Chris Cunningham's tower block video for Aphex Twins 'Come To Daddy'.

With such a captivating lead track, you'd expect the rest of the EP to lag in comparison. No chance. Flip side opener 'At 12am We Lock The Doors' takes us along a vocal flashback of a teenage night on the tiles. McRae knows exactly how to fuse the mood of the music and his spoken-word lyricist. The honed instrumental tempo compliments the creeping tension of the story perfectly, bringing some choice lines in the soft Estuary monologue beautifully to life. You'll never look at a packet of crisps the same way, trust me. Next we have 'Inside', which is a more ambient take and could have fitted in anywhere on his Eskimo album. A perfect morning-after for the excitement of the first two offerings, as is 'A Reason To Live', another intensely cinematic piece of music that independent film makers would do well to get their hands on and which achieves much despite it's all-too-brief two minutes. Far be it from Thin Films to go quietly though, and the closing Red Light remix of the title track is a fast-paced tonic frenzy. White-noise guitars race against epileptic squelches of bass to form what could best be described as Half Naked on steroids. Now if that isn't a cinematic image... McRae is definitely one to watch.

Review by George Bass