Found

It’s fair to say that Found have never made the same album twice – but even by their standards ‘Cloning’ (their first record as a duo) is quite a jump from their last.
For Found have ditched the streamlined indie rock of the SAY nominated Factorycraft’ and replaced the guitars with gleaming and ominous sci-fi electronics.
Of course, electronic music has always been intrinsic to Found’s sound, but ‘Cloning’ is a step beyond the likes of the glitchy ‘Fidelities’ E.P. and sees the band immersing themselves totally in the world of Tangerine Dream and John Carpenter.
None of which is to suggest that the band have ditched their songwriting strengths in this transition. Far from it. Lead track (and single) ‘A Souvenir For Every Hope You Had’ may have waves of synths but it’s still recognisably Found. Indeed many of the songs on the record share fundamental DNA with earlier incarnations of this constantly evolving band.
Yet the record also has a raft of imaginative instrumentals which sound like the soundtrack from some 70s sci-fi movie. That impression is reinforced by song titles such as ‘End Sequence’ (perversely placed midway through the record), ‘Main Title’ (after ‘End Sequence’!) and ‘Credits’.
Another noticeable difference from previous work is that Ziggy’s vocals are not up front in the mix, rather they’re somewhat subsumed in the instrumentation.
Slightly curiously it’s on some of the instrumental tracks that the conciseness of ‘Factorycraft’ can be found. The songs with the words tend to be more expansive but the likes of ‘Main Title’ and ‘Clone Your Own’ match the economy of their last album.
Found seem in a permanent state of flux, shedding members and musical styles with abandon. But one constant remains and above all else ‘Cloning’ is testament to their restless invention. Essential.

Cloning is out on Chemikal Underground on 5th November

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Mike Melville

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