Over a decade after its creation, the album “Immolate Yourself” by Telefon Tel Aviv is still one of my favourite records. Its dark aesthetics and brooding analogue synth lines pack an emotional punch that still holds up to this day.

This is an analogue electronic record through and through. This is not just in choice of instruments, but in how they were recorded and processed. You can almost hear the clunk and whir of the tape machines; the electricity passing though the very circuitry itself.

Through its warbling synth lines and softer aesthetics you can really feel the tactility of the instruments and equipment used. No better is this exemplified than in my track of the week ” I Made A Tree on the World.”

Melodically, its structures are rather simplistic, but its the way they drift through the piece, building in power as filters are slowly opened up to create underlying drive and aggression. This aggression is then released in the final third of the track with a raise in octaves and looping vocals that merge into each other creating a wide sonic landscape that slowly fades away into the distance.

Although its more of an “album track” and provides a link between more traditionally constructed tracks on the album “I Made A Tree on the World” is still my favorite from an impressive bunch. It manages to create a world that I have enjoyed returning to countless times over the past twelve years:

TOTW Playlist: