Vinyl LP
On Neon Genesis: Soul Into Matter², Meemo Comma, aka Lara Rix-Martin, explores the concept of identity and transformation. Taking cues from cult classic anime and the Kabbalah, Rix-Martin explores the potential of a genderless existence. On tracks like “Upload to Unit Kadmon,” they imagine a new android model infused by ancestral creation myths, rounding up the self-reflective journey that began with their introspective, sparse Ghost in the Stairs and continued on the outwards-looking, goth-pastoral Sleepmoss.
Rix-Martin returns to vocal samples as the building blocks of their sound, only now they’re distorted, pitched down and occasionally crossing into the unintelligible. The discreet reverb reveries and cat meows of earlier recordings make way for Jewish prayers, aggressively panned and piercing industrial sounds, and bubbling synths, which all converge towards a future-primitive aesthetic. Film influences abound, either as direct quotation, like the playful “Neon Genesis: Title Sequence,” which sets drum & bass elements against a soaring vocal loop and ‘90s-era IDM synths, or as diffuse reference in “End Credits,” a somber piece for piano, synth, and voice.
Rix-Martin transforms a well-known Bible passage into a dark, dissonant machine incantation on “Genesis 8:22 – Annihilation,” while “Tif’eret,” referencing the Kabbalistic principle, sonically inserts the Adonai Elohim within a Ghost in the Shell–type universe. Neon Genesis: Soul Into Matter² excels in distilling these diverging narratives into a touching, highly personal opus.
