Musician, label runner, and all around musical force Alexander Donat seems to always be in a creative cycle. Whether he’s releasing music under the monkier Vlimmer, Fir Cone Children, Assassun, or Feverdreamt; releasing music from other artists as label head for Blackjack Illuminist Records, or brainstorming unique and conceptual ways of releasing music in physical formats(the Vlimmer project has put out some incredible cassette releases in hand made boxes.)
Donat is just a massive creative on all artistic fronts.
Alexander Donat is now readying the latest release from his one man project Feverdreamt. On 4/12 Decay Is Present will be released out into the world via Blackjack Illuminst Records. As with all of Donat’s one man projects, it will sound familiar as Alexander brings himself to each project; whether it’s the Gothic post-punk of Vlimmer, the cloudy day power pop of Fir Cone Children, the electro punk of Assassun, or the dark grey shades of Feverdreamt’s baroque darkwave. The through line between them all is, of course, Donat.
A little background:
“Feverdreamt is a Berlin-based one-man project that started out as “Arabian Krautrock” in 2015. It consists of Alexander Leonard Donat who’s also the man behind Vlimmer, Fir Cone Children, ASSASSUN, other bands, and Blackjack Illuminist Records.“
Decay Is Present is the third LP from Feverdreamt, following Terban Te Ban(2015) and Melantant(2019). The music is organ heavy with touches of Krautrock and pastoral folk touches, by way of acoustic guitars and a cavernous, widescreen sound. Think The Wicker Man meets Lucifer Rising with a healthy dose of Ben Wheatley’s In The Earth for good measure.
Yes, these are cinematic references. That’s because there’s a cinematic feel to the music of Feverdreamt. It’s meant to be listened to with closed eyes so your mind can project the sound in an almost psychedelic vision. It’s as eloquent and sparse as it is eerie and foreboding.
New single “The Wallowing(Die Another Time)” hums and aches like a funeral on an overcast day. Haunted organ and Donat’s illuminated vocals carry us through. It’s sparse, with touches of acoustic guitar. Anything more would be too much. Touches of Bauhaus and early Echo and the Bunnymen comes through, but really this is new sonic territory all around. Beautifully and achingly melancholy with touches of Gothic undertones.
Give “The Wallowing(Die Another Time)” a listen below. Decay Is Present will be released in one week on 4/12. Hit up Blackjack Illuminist Records and grab a copy next Friday.
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