This album is unquestioningly a fun listen. Check that; maybe I should say this album is undoubtedly an “un” listen; as in its title of “Unreality” and as in song names like “Unto” and “Unbecoming” and “Undustrial Revolution.”
Despite my listening enjoyment, I’m unsure what to say about “Unreality.” I may be unfit and unable to do it justice. I guess it would not be unkind or unfair to call it IDM (after all, that’s what Steve Hadfield – the unaccompanied musician who created this music – calls it). So it’s not unclassifiable; if you enjoy good electronic music, you will enjoy this album, unquestionably. Unless, that is, you just find all electronic music unpleasant or unlikeable, in which case you will understandably find this music uncomfortable. If that describes you, unfortunately any further explanation would be unhelpful and unnecessary.
But for the rest of us, as these songs unfurl, they are sometimes undulating and sometimes unusual, but I’d never say they are unapproachable. I suppose I could try to unpack each individual track to try to make it all more understandable or unearth some greater meaning, but that seems so unnecessary. You will not be underwhelmed by this music; in fact, this is confirmed by track nine which is outside the song nomenclature with the unlikely title of “Whelmed.” I unconditionally recommend this record.
And, I’m happy to report, no ungulates were harmed in the making of this album.