REVIEWS > SKINK


Rock-A-Rolla (UK)

Newbury Resident Paul Mulholland aka Skink should be very proud of his self-titled debut, It's all swabs of ambience and glitchy beats just like they should be - all messed up and foetal. But to say that's all this album is a very short-sighted statement. There's also an overwhelming element of drone on here too. 'Minutes Turn To Hours' is the sparest track on the album and offers a lot of insight into Skink's play on textures and musical demeanours but it's when the track sprawls into 'Look To The Sky' that you realise this kid possesses some serious talent. The deep, breath-like ambience of the song is disturbed only by high pitches, waves of electronic noise and heartbeat percussion that really does induce unconscious ponderings. His command of percussion is also excellent and more than evident on 'Who Are We?' and the slow album closer 'The Ages of Carbon Dating Mk III' which is possibly the highlight of the album with its moody guitar centrepiece boxed in by stuttering drums and ripples of static. Skink is an exciting and very engulfing listen. There's enough depth and texture in the washes of melody to keep all those long beards scratched and enough fast paced turns and unexpected drum freakouts to hold the concentration.

Oli Marlow 

Chain DLK (Italy)

Being balanced between i.d.m./ambient with light melodies and dark ambient with drones, the latest Skink (personal project of Paul Mulholland) album is capable to entertain you for fifty minutes, creating a web of sounds that goes from minimal (but rich of rhythm) to melodic solutions good for soundtracks (see the short opening 'Nothing', the following and really good 'You know that place well' and 'Autopsy'). Sometimes some tracks are too minimal for my taste but they are working well at creating a good atmosphere.

Maurizio Pustianaz 3.5/5

One Week to Live (UK) 

Skink is one of those albums that engulfs you while you listen. One moment its all swabs of mechanical ambience and glitchy beats, then the beastly drum freakouts pop up, bringing a touch of drone and the power to instantly drop your jaw

Oli Marlow (6/7)

Virus (US)

Influenced by the ambient works of Boards Of Canada, Brian Eno, and Richard D. James, Skink’s debut CD is the culmination of five years of work and multiple recording locations.From the opening track, “Nothing”, a sparse piano piece which, if nothing else, sets the minimal and introspective tone of the CD, you can sense something different in Skink’s (Paul Mulholland) musical approach. As this CD represents a personal audio journal of sorts, the beginning of any journey makes a slow start requisite.  I don’t mean this in a negative way, but Mulholland is patient when it comes to composition and he requires you to stop and listen. As this CD had five years of ideas and input, there never is the need or desire to impress with bombastic programming and sledgehammer techniques so often relied upon in contemporary electronic music.  Skink is all about taking you in, not shaking you about.  With that being said, this is not a true ambient album, as there is some song structure, nor is it a true IDM inflection, although there are some Aphex Twin moments such as “Who Are We?”, “Minutes Turn To Hours” and “Autopsy”, and “Catharsis” are great examples of tracks that adhere to the ambient method.  Textural and evocative, Skink’s debut CD is impressive, but in subtle fashion.

Michael Casano 8/10 

Normans Records (UK)

Skink is another self released effort of rather good quality. Not a million miles from some of the finer Merck releases this is a generally drifting affair held down by cushioned beats and the kind of atmospherics your mother would use to soothe you to sleep with. Yeah, think Lullatone maybe as a comparison. Eleven tracks produced by one Paul Mulholland taking in wonky/wobbly synths and washes, ambient drifts and treated environmental sounds. Just as you begin to nod off the production values and running order gradually pulls you back into focus. A sterling (bedroom) effort that's possibly contender for album of the week. Definitely gets the pie and cakes thumbs up from boss-man Mr Phil.