Maqlu

MaQLu turns up the noise on Black, creating stunning sound collages that are very dark and stunningly apocalyptic. The sounds swell into an obscure chaos of rhythm and melody, mimicking the sounds of goth-industrial bands like Alien Sex Fiend. The Black hole created in this mess of sound is a pleasing, albeit gloomy, listening experience. Perhaps it's aimed at the goth crowds but someone who enjoys music that is atypical and refreshingly different will find something interesting about this album.

I can't ignore the strong noise element on Black that creeps in to the sounds that the album is constructed from. On top of that an explorative structure to the songs keeps it moving forward at a good pace. It's not EBM or as heavy as someone like Noisuf-X but if you want an idea of the darkness of the sounds then that's the direction you want to think in. This album lends something new to the current industrial sounds being put out in Canada and it's nice to see a talented lady taking to the plate. MaQLu has a lot to offer and future releases from this industrial goddess are much anticipated. - !earshot

It's lazy to describe a record as dark, but this one is just that and is titled accordingly. MaQlu is Pyra Draculea, whose 21-minute EP is an orchestration of foreign, unsettling industrial rock. On one hand, Black is angry, but, on the other, it sounds like making it was fun, but a different kind of fun than Andy Creeggan's Andiwork III. There is drama in "Martyr," but, like all six tracks, a little whackiness, too. Like, fighting their way through the synths and metalic percussion, where did that brass come from? Grade: C+ - The Province

It’s no secret that Vancouver is a hotbed of industrial music talent. Maqlu (a one-woman show) occupies territory similar to that of fellow West coast rivet heads Numb, especially their earlier, more cinematic work. Heavily chopped samples and squelch-compression vocals rub elbows with brassy tones and improvised percussion on Black, as if Portishead eschewed jazz and were raised on In The Nursery and Tom Waits instead. Single “Whore” is getting some radio play right now, but I prefer the Oneroid Psychosis style of lunacy found on “Siamese Twins”.

Intriguing stuff for fans of experimental, tape-loop industrial film music, or a less traditional version of, say, Rhea’s Obsesion. I’d be very interested to hear a full-band version of Maqlu’s material with vocals up front.

7 out of 10 - Onward Faustian Soldiers

Maqlu's second album 'Black' provides the listener with a new pallet of sounds to play with. With the simple drums, a minimal amount synths and some well-placed samples of instruments, that you wouldn’t expect from an electro album, you can feel yourself drift off into an strange new world.

Even though her chilling vocals play a background role in the album, you get the sense that without them, the songs would devolve into an amalgamation of random sounds. Each track, being no longer than four minutes, manages to subtly alter the listener's mood.



'Siamese Twins' opens the album with the panning of insect like noises from speaker to speaker, climaxing with just a simple bleep. This leads you anxiously into the slow march like rhythm that is emphasised by a hollow bass drum. The song contains a minimal amount of synth because she wants you to strain your ears just to hear the words. The vocals are made grimey with a very small amount of distortion. The samples, like the simple buzz and the slow clicking noise, are what pushes the song forward. With each verse ending in iambic pentameter which is emphasised by the momentary increase in tempo from the bass drum. 'Wh*re' picks up the tempo with simple wooden drum beat that is very tribal. The distorted guitar riffs get raise the tempo. This one continues the theme of using interesting sounds, like chiming bell melodies, to great effect. The only drawback to this song is with such a cacophony of noises the vocals are inaudible over it.



'Martyr' introduces main synth lines into the album with great effect. With the funky bass loop which is made more prominent by a low growling bass. The thing that stands out about this song is the out of tune trumpet playing a slow dirge which keeps all the sounds in check. Clashing symbols and marching band drums are well placed so you don’t feel to brought by the trumpets. The song is finally topped off with an eerie organ which makes you feel like you are in a 1930's horror film.



'March On' bursts into action with its creepy take on futurepop synth lines. With the main one being slightly too high pitched and slightly out of key. Underneath all the synthesizers and sound effects lies a slow plodding bass and very simple 4/4 bass drum. The last track of the album is an eerie ending to the album. With a screeching organ and a synth that sounds like someone screaming. The brutal drum beat gives you the impression that someone is stalking you. Out of time vocals add to the whole discordant feel of the song.



This album is a breath of fresh air in the electro scene. With the whole feel of the album being dirty and gritty not made in some sterilised room. Most of the songs don’t follow any recognisable music structure and that is good. Maqlu doesn’t want you to think about the music, she just wants you to enjoy it. There is no message, it’s just her experimenting with sounds and she ultimately doesn’t care what we think. - SoundSphere Magazine

There are right and wrong ways to make dissonant, antagonizing music. At some point, every weary industrial music fan has had to make the same frustrating — and hopefully at least a little tongue-in-cheek — lecture about the difference between the two.

Black, the second EP in the "Tales From The Black Heart" trilogy by Vancouver's Maqlu, contains enough of both to make a great teaching tool for that lecture — but it doesn't contain enough examples of the "right way" to stand on its own as a record.

To Maqlu's credit, it's not for lack of design; there are some great ideas and bold experiments on Black. But they're often timidly executed, and they're generally poorly produced.

Too often, Maqlu's approach to mixing is simply to turn all the faders up, creating a sludgy mess from which no individual sound, let alone a compelling track, can escape.

Opening tracks like "Siamese Twins" and "Whore" suffer the most. The lyrics are crushed by a vocal track that ends up sounding like Spike Jonze on speakerphone at the other end of the studio, and the variation between muddled beats and screeching feedback will have you reaching for the volume knob again and again.

But those willing to brave the first half will be rewarded by tracks like "March On" and "Paws Off," in which the more digital production is cleaner, the sampling and song structure are sharper, and the tension and abrasion doesn't get lost under the weight of aimless distortion.

If Black was meant to be unlistenable and aggravating — and maybe it was — then mission accomplished. But its best moments prove Maqlu is capable of much more. Here's hoping the third and final EP in the series lives up to that promise. - ChartAttack

In Vancouver resides an artist named Maqlu. She’s best known for doing remixes for bands such as Jakalope and Left Spine Down among others. When she is not doing remixes she works on her own material, which she has recently compiled into her first official release, and EP titled Blood.

Having existing access to the necessary technology, Maqlu got straight to work mixing down slow deadly beats that seep into your head. Once the music is inside of you it courses through your veins filling you with its dark mood. After settling into the songs, Maqlu surprises you with some vocals; adding meaning and depth to each and every track. The music is slow but effective, like a virus in your system.

Maqlu has put her heart and soul into this first release, Blood. Hopefully she doesn’t wait too long before making a follow up to this EP. Fans of The Rabid Whole, Jakalope and Left Spine Down will want her music coursing through them. - PureGrainAudio.com