Darkside (Nicolas Jaar & Dave Harrington) Spiral

Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington return after announcing they were parting ways at a show in 2014 in the Brooklyn Masonic Temple. Their debut album Psychic from 2013 was lauded as a modern classic almost immediately after release.

Since, Nicolas Jaar has been incredibly prolific releasing no less than four albums through his own Other People label including a soundtrack to cult classic Sergei Parajanov film The Color Of Pomegranates, created original soundtracks for 2015’s Dheepan and 2019’s Ema, co-produced tracks on FKA Twigs (Bleep album of the year 2020) Magdalene and worked on material under the A.A.L (Against All Logic) moniker with the likes of no wave legend Lydia Lunch.

Working with multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington on the DARKSIDE project, Nicolas Jaar’s production takes in heady psychedelic influences from prog and drone genres. Layering his entrancing vocals over the pulsating rhythm section on tracks such as ‘Lawmaker’ and ‘I’m The Echo’ that draw on the sun drenched psych of contemporary West Coast bands like Moon Duo and Wooden Shjips. Elsewhere we encounter the extended ‘Inside Is Out There’ with percussion heavily indebted to Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit and heavily treated vocals sat low in the mix. “From the beginning, DARKSIDE has been our jam band. Something we did on days off. When we reconvened, it was because we really couldn’t wait to jam together again”.

A harmonious return from the prolific duo, filtering an array of influences into their own expertly crafted sound.