Yeah that very 4AD artwork is by Chris Bigg - legendary graphic designer and longtime assistant to Vaughan Oliver, adorning this ridiculously deep x heavy debut album from hardcore don Jim Siegel under his Vivid Oblivion alias, produced with Karl O’Connor (Regis) and mixed by Anthony Child (Surgeon) and Simon Shreeve. All Concréte x Jazz drums and super moody post-industrial x cyberpunk highly recommended if yr into anything from Valentina Magaletti/Moin to Flying Saucer Attack, Faust, Bark Psychosis, The New Blockaders, Tarkovsky flicks, Blackest Ever Black, Boredoms Stemming from intently deep listening sessions immersed in albums by Viennese aktionist Hermann Nitsch and the myriad eras of Killing Joke, the album began life as gonzo field recordings of Siegel smashing the f*ck out of his drum kit, zither, scrap metal and gongs in an array of abandoned warehouse spaces. The recordings formed the basis of Karl’s compound productions, which add depth charge bass and sonorous metallic atmospheres to the mix, along with birdsong and gibbon hoots, plus guitar textures by Nick Forté (Raspberry Bulbs, Rorschach) for a dread-lusting jag deep in the belly of the Big Apple. It’s one of the most impressive records on Downwards for a long while, bound to gnaw and spark the nerves. Vivid Oblivion: The Graphic Cabinet, clear vinyl edition now shipping at boomkat.com, first 100 copies come with an additional print individually painted and signed by Chris Bigg