Boduf Songs – Stench of Exist – Album Review by Killian Laher

Matthew Sweet (not THAT one) has been recording under the name Boduf Songs for more than ten years, and Stench of Exist is his sixth album. Playing most of the instruments himself, much of the album consists of soft, muted melancholia with an electronic edge, exemplified by My Continuing Battle With Material Reality. The pace picks up for dark anthem Thwart by Thwart, like a sort of lo-fi version of The National. Great Anthem of My Youth is aptly titled, Sweet’s whispered vocals are married to possibly the most memorable melody on the album, capturing the feel Beck aimed for (and fell short of) on last year’s Morning Phase, whilst throwing in some unusual percussion, enhancing rather than distracting from the song.

Elsewhere, we get both ear-splitting and ghostly weirdness (Head of Hollow-Fill and Mountaintop Removal, and Grows In The Small World of Nerve respectively). Standout The Rotted Names is quietly threatening, vocals infused with Reznor-esque concealed menace over brooding, icy electronica. It’s an unsettling yet oddly addictive album and it’s available from bandcamp.

Find out more about Boduf Songs here.

1. Jacket Cruiser
2. My Continuing Battle With Material Reality
3. Thwart by Thwart
4. The Witch Cradle
5. Great Anthem of My Youth
6. Head of Hollow-Fill and Mountaintop Removal
7. The Rotted Names
8. Grows In The Small World of Nerve
9. Modern Orbita
10. Last Song Save One
11. Sky Pedal’s Plan

Thwart by Thwart: