January 4 2005
Coil – ANS Box Set
This attractive little box set contains three CDs of music, a DVD of visual accompaniment, and a brief sheet detailing the history of the ANS synthesizer used to make this collection. This release finds Coil in full-on experimental mode; ANS is comprised of long, droning tracks similar in style to the Time Machines album. All of the sounds on the three discs were created using the ANS synthesizer, an early electronic instrument that translates pictures etched onto glass panels into sound waves via the medium of light. The tracks are not particularly harsh, yet they retain a slightly ominous edge that manages to unsettle rather than terrify. The DVD included in the set features four visual interpretations of the ANS music. Honestly, it looks quite a bit like the bog standard graphic visualizations bundled with PC Jukebox software. (Though, to be fair, the black-and-white sequence was chillingly reminiscent of Kathe Koja’s novel Cipher.)
