Fail is one of the many monikers of Dan Fox, labelhead of Inner Demons Records, and is his harsh noise project. He describes it thus in the bio: “Fail is the longest running (20 years +) noise project of Dan Fox, the guy who runs IDR. He has a bunch of other projects too and spends most of his free time with pedals and cats. He struggles with mental health problems, and he can't wrap his head around how we got here and how the fuck we're supposed to fix it.” I think many can sympathize. So let’s see what the pedals and cats have in store for us today.

“080919” opens up with pulsing noise that sounds like a heartbeat. This then gives way to droning noise and short blasts of static and other noise. This evolves over almost 13 minutes, cascading live waves of static against a craggly shore. An ever-present hum provide a base for bits of static and analog noise. This is not in your face noise, but rather a well-crafted composition with some subtlety. Really nicely done.
“080830” picks up where the previous track left off and is almost peaceful. There is some sweeping phaser effect that gives the undercurrent an oceanlike feel. This is delicate noise, with a mournful feel, like being on a train platform at 3am. Alone. With nothing but the hum of the ventilation system and your thoughts. Occasionally, a train comes to the platform, but it isn’t going anywhere you want to be. It leaves the platform and you remain alone, wondering what train, if any, you want to board. And it’s getting colder….

I expected something a lot more harsh from Fail, but sometimes what you get greatly exceeds your expectations. This is lovely noise (yeah, how often do you get that combination) that is just on the edge of becoming noisy dark ambient. Beautifully done and highly recommended. This album weighs in at around 19 minutes and is limited to 42 copies.