Review: Dogs Versus Shadows – A Billionth Of A Second

Dogs Versus Shadows is the musical outpourings of the Nottingham based, Lee Pylon, better known as the DJ of the “Other Worldly” radio show “Kites And Pylons.” A weekly show on Sine FM and Mixcloud, that champions the weird and wonderful world of electronic based music. Highly recommended listening for anyone interested in the less trodden and experimental electronica paths.

As Dogs Versus Shadows, Lee Pylon has been a very busy, mechanical bee. 2020 has seen a string of releases. Since Dogs Versus Shadows first release, on Subexotic Records, the wonderfully haunting, dystopian world of “This Crow Wears A Wire,” Lee has been putting his music out at a blistering pace.

There have been self released mini albums, such as “Ha’penny Scrub,” and the live improvised “A Pair Of Buttons That Could Destroy Everything.” There is the cassette based, Sensory Leakage label, with their run of “Zennor” titled albums, with Dogs Versus Shadows taking the “Zennor 16” title. There’s the split album with qualchan on side A and Dogs Versus Shadows on side B, for the Submarine Broadcasting Company. In fact, music is pouring out of Lee Pylon. A quick search on Bandcamp reveals that Lee Pylon has created a healthy, interesting and exciting back catalogue, in a very short space of time.

At the time of writing, the latest Dogs Versus Shadows is called “A Billionth Of A Second.” This is another mini album and Lee Pylon’s fourth release on Subexotic Records. The album comes as a download and also as a limited edition clear, lathe cut vinyl, beautiful looking and superb sounding,. If, like this reviewer, you are a vinyl head and enjoy fringe electronic music, then I strongly recommend investigating Subexotic Records’ stunning vinyl releases.

“A Billionth Of A Second” finds Lee Pylon in a more reflective mood than his previous Subexotic releases. The ten, woozy, synth infused, soundscapes still take the listener into Dogs Versus Shadows’ delightfully bleak, dystopian world, pregnant with paranoia and draped in a brooding shadows.

A world teaming with musical imagery akin to Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil” and lifted from the pages of George Orwell’s “1984” but this time, the world has a gentle, warm breeze, thinning the grey, sullen clouds, allowing patches of cleverly composed dappled electronic sunshine.

Unlike, Dogs Versus Shadows’ third Subexotic album, “Bombing Middle England,” there’s no hint of IDM. “A Billionth Of A Second” is essentially an experimental electronic, dark ambient album. The muzzy sonics composed are captivating and beguiling, taking in modular sounds and gentle drone effects. The album is well sequenced, flowing like a continuous mix, taking the listener on a twilight journey through sparsely lit streets and down narrow twittens. An amble through the embraced hauntology world of Lee Pylon.