“Known Shape” finds Rival Consoles seeming to model a process video in a song. We hear individual rhythmic pieces working in conjunction with each other in a techno beat, accenting melodic tones, background harmonics and a slow-moving textural stream beside it. In the foreground there are bright filigrees of tone as well as hushed low end swells. It’s a bit like getting lost inside the hidden world of a computer at work and being somehow aware of all the components functioning in a way that makes all the things we take for granted with electronic devices happen. Being able to take in this granular detail abstracted to sound has a parallel to both musically and conceptually to Kraftwerk’s classic 1974 song “Autobahn” in being a musical expression of human technological achievement but focused on a smaller scale yet creatively on the same plane of conception. Listen to “Known Shape” on Spotify and follow Rival Consoles at the links below. The new record Landscape from Memory is out July 4, 2025 via Erased Tapes.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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