Author & Punisher – Nocturnal Birding (Recommendation)

Musical exploration sometimes works in mysterious ways. Author & Punisher has been around for more than 20 years and just now with their new album Nocturnal Birding I begin to get a hold on them. Being a BIG fan of Nine Inch Nails and HEALTH it was really only matter of time when Author & Punisher would cross my musical library.

When the first bass of “Maedolark” hits your ears, you know you’re in for an immersive experience. There’s a constant weight on the listeners ears although the musical concept behind Nocturnal Birding seems to be light: it is a birdsong laying over all songs. Knowing that the mixing and mastering was done by Will Putney (Knocked Loose, Fit for an Autopsy) I was surprised. Industrial wasn’t a genre I associated with him but he did a great job with Nocturnal Birding.

Talking about weight, “Titmouse” and the following “Titmice” are a good starting point for testing the deep levels of your sound system. “Black Storm Petrel“, featuring the French Fange is another pummeling highlight in that aspect. The guest spots in general are a truly international highlight: besides Fange, there are Indonesia’s Kuntari and New York City’s Megan Oztrosits of Couch Slut.

Author & Punisher is still able to re-invent his vision and his craft, even this long into his career. Nocturnal Birding is a special album in concept and art. This truly feels like an exploration of sound(s): something so fragile like birds, combined with the natural harshness of Industrial as a genre create an experience that is seldom found today.