Robin Edwards aka R.Seiliog has always been guided by his own internal muse. Over his career he has released driving motorik, repeat-soaked Kosmische, bass driven electronica and, on his most recent album Ash Dome (Cue Dot label), a more ambient and hallucinogenic sound. He is also a refreshingly evasive artist as he shies away from the constant hustle of industry and promotion, only appearing when he feels he has something to say. Well now he has re-emerged with his fifth full-length album and once more we find an artist in transit as he burrows down further into a world of field recordings, lucid electronica and opposing mood pieces.
Dispatch All Gods is not all brightness and light. It flies under the ambient banner, yet it is anything but easy listening. There are plenty of shadows where twisted beings dwell and even on the more crystalline pieces, such as opener ‘Embers’ or the truly beautiful ‘Gliders Landing’, there are a multitude of layers and conflicting textures making this an album that, whilst created and curated by an artist in wonderful form, also places the emotional weight onto the shoulders of the listener. If you’re feeling sensitive then this music can help release a flood of tears, if you are happy then it can show you gorgeous lights, if you are feeling uneasy then….maybe listen with the lights on.
Robin’s gift for arrangements and sonic is showcased early on with third track ‘Division of Remote Viewing’. Here we are presented with the breathy roll of an ocean wave which gets dragged crashing onto the rocks with a load of glitchy electronica that shifts and confuses you whilst the overlaying bed of soothing synths twinkle and dance around your head. This all leads to an unsettling moment of fractured voices and stormy winds which closes the track with a very different emotional feel than how it started. On an album that is full to the brim with well-crafted and executed ideas, this may be its finest moment.
Structurally, the album’s centrepiece is a ten-minute head spin called ‘Daisies on the Coast Road’. Here we are half-dropped into a world of machines and industry, with cold and synthetic elements sounding like mid-90s Warp Records, battling for control with a more esoteric and dreamlike spirit. Daisies on the Coast Road is a multi-faceted piece of art that reveals more about itself with each listen.
With Dispatch All Gods, R.Seiliog once more showcases why he is one of the finest producers currently working in the UK. His skill with arrangements is apparent throughout and, like a landscape painter, you really get to feel all the work he has put into every single tiny detail. This is an album that feels honed and sweated over, yet it never strays into grandiosity or over-indulgence. It is an album made by someone who understands so much about the human condition and our connection to our surroundings. It is an album full of heart, head and soul that warrants many a return trip.
Castles In Space / Lunar Module: Bandcamp | Instagram | Bluesky
R. Seiliog: Facebook | Instagram
Review by Simon Tucker
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The incredible intricacy and level of detail applied to these tracks is what stood out for me too. Great stuff!