Decimation Of I: Meemo Comma’s Vinyl Release Explores Alien Landscapes and Human Fragility
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Meemo Comma, the alias of Brighton-based electronic musician Lara Rix-Martin, returns with her fifth studio album Decimation Of I, released on Planet Mu Records. Drawing inspiration from the Strugatsky brothers’ novel Roadside Picnic and Andrei Tarkovsky’s film Stalker, this album delves deep into the unsettling beauty of a post-apocalyptic world altered by alien forces. The narrative, though rooted in science fiction, serves as a poignant metaphor for our current global climate crises, where the environment is increasingly becoming hostile, and human hubris is laid bare.
Opening with the ethereal flutes of “They, spoke,” the album gradually immerses listeners into a surreal landscape where the boundary between the Earthly and the alien blurs. Tracks like “The Soldier” and “The Poet” evoke a sense of disorientation, reminiscent of the seventies electronic pioneers like Wendy Carlos and Eduard Artemyev, whose work also grappled with the intersection of technology and emotion. The use of Bach-like melodies in tracks such as “P3Alpha Exotoxin” and “Area X” further amplifies this connection, but with a modern twist that hints at humanity’s gradual unraveling in the face of insurmountable change.
As Decimation Of I progresses, it takes the listener on an introspective journey through an alien world that mirrors our own. The midpoint track, “Spectral Alignment,” stands out with its serene yet haunting atmosphere, blending Aaron Copland-style French horns with spatial arpeggios that evoke a sense of calm before the inevitable storm. This piece, like the rest of the album, captures the essence of ego death—a central theme in both the novel and the film—that forces the characters to confront their insignificance within a world undergoing profound transformation.
The album’s closing tracks, particularly “As It Is Written,” are inspired by the final line in Roadside Picnic, a cry for universal happiness that can be interpreted as either a desperate plea or a realization of autonomy in the face of annihilation. Meemo Comma’s work here is reminiscent of the deeply reflective nature of artists like Oneohtrix Point Never and Autechre, who similarly use electronic music to explore complex emotional and existential themes. Decimation Of I is not just an album—it’s a sonic exploration of our collective future, challenging listeners to reflect on their place within a rapidly changing world.
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