Chained Library is as mysterious a record label as its predecessor, /\Aught. I sometimes wonder if the popularity and collectability of cassettes released by /\Aught (Topdown Dialectic, De Leon, and Aci_Edits being personal favorites) may have something to do with the operators’ reclusion into the dark, isolationist aura that is Chained Library.

This cassette (and digital) release by an obscure artist known as [. . (]. does well to illlustrate a certain lonely concentration and contemplation that threads itself throughout all Chained Library releases.

My impression here is that a single instrument (synthesizer) has been used to sequence this series of sparse vignettes and romantic (albeit dark) interludes. Listening to these 10 unnamed pieces I can’t help but picture black roses, candelabras and walls made sad and bleak from years of foxing.

This is very minimalist, detail-oriented music. Anything that might have distracted from the subtle tone shifts or atmosphere has been eschewed with a discipline that is, honestly, a bit spooky.