Review
Wife
Standard Nature

Profound Lore (2016) Spyros Stasis

Wife – Standard Nature cover artwork
Wife – Standard Nature — Profound Lore, 2016

WIFE is the solo electronic project of James Kelly, who is probably best known as the mainman of (unfortunately disbanded) insane, post-black metal band Altar of Plagues. WIFE started out with the release of the Stoic EP, an excellent specimen of the experimental electronic path, which Kelly would follow on his debut full-length, What's Between, released through Tri Angle Records. His new release, Standard Nature, sees a more balanced attitude between experimental electronic music and a singer/songwriter mentality, drawing elements from Stoic and What's Between but furthering the project's aim.

The themes of WIFE's explorations are directly derived from Kelly's time as an environmental researcher, and it is that duality between nature and artificiality that is studied in this record, something that is also very nicely depicted on the artwork of the record, where a machine reflects a rainforest. This contrast is highlighted also musically with the experimental electronic outlook and the singer/songwriter mentality.

The rhythmic patterns build the mechanics of the record, displaying a certain unpredictability in their progression. Kelly is able to harness easily a volatile scenery, with an intriguing instrumentation to go side by side. The frantic background, as in “Native Trade,” enhances the movement of the tracks, while the glorious synth sounds provide a plethora of different elements to vary the instrumentation. The glitch element is very nicely used through the record, enhancing the mechanical attribute of the album, granting an industrialized sense to the parts of the record. On the other hand, the use of vocals portrays the natural side of the album, and even though the vocal lines are heavily processed, they do not transmit a distant, detached feeling, but are subject to a more peaceful and serene characteristic, something that reaches new heights in “Lovelock.”

Standard Nature is a piece of work with a strong cinematic sense, depicting graphically the decline of the environment through man's actions (check out WIFE's videofor “Glass Interruption” to get a glimpse of that.) It is a hard truth to accept, and Kelly showcases that exact issue through his new EP, in the most excellent manner.

Wife – Standard Nature cover artwork
Wife – Standard Nature — Profound Lore, 2016

Related news

Never Die: Matt Jencik and Midwife

Posted in Records on May 21, 2025

A Midwife b-side

Posted in Bands on May 9, 2025

My Wife's An Angel - Yeah, I Bet

Posted in Records on March 15, 2025

Recently-posted album reviews

Dead Bars

All Dead Bars Go To Heaven
Iodine (2025)

Dead Bars has a unique talent of taking the everyday, the experiences you see and live all the time, and shining a new light on them to make them personal and interesting. I've written about it before, yet it's my job to say this again and to make it interesting. It's what Dead Bars does, so it only seems fitting … Read more

Painkiller

The Great God Pan
Tzadik (2025)

Painkiller, the trio of John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris shows no signs of slowing down. The Great God Pan is their third full-length, since their reunion in 2024, and in many ways it is an unexpected offering. In keeping with their interests in the metaphysical realm, Painkiller find inspiration from the famed Arthur Machen horror novella. Here, the … Read more

Painkiller

The Equinox
Tzadik (2025)

Painkiller sees three absolute masters of extreme music join forces. John Zorn of Naked City and a billion other projects, Mick Harris who transcended from Napalm Death drummer to illbient guru with Scorn, and producer extraordinaire Bill Laswell. Their first two records, Guts of a Virgin and Buried Secrets are strange meditations traversing between free-jazz, grindcore and dub. Still hungry … Read more