“Crimson Poem” is an album by the Changchun-based experimental artist, Yikii. Released in 2021, this album answers the age-old question, “What happens if you give a Chinese vampire access to late-career Björk?”
In “Crimson Poem,” Yikii combines the sounds of neoclassical darkwave and art pop, adding dashes of post-industrial along the way. This combo creates an odd but satisfying energy in the album, teetering the duality of fear and delight. The commonality between both sides is just how intricate the sound design is.
Known for her disorienting production, Yikii’s primary focus in her music is immersion. Through both subtle atmospheric tracks and shrieking cinematic moments, Yikii creates an experience that sounds perfect for a horror film. With an experimental style of song structure, throwing around new ideas every few seconds, there’s always something new to let your brain wrap around.
Songs
Songs like “Disillusionment” are a prime example of how immersive Yikii gets with her songs. Backed by a trip hoppy electronic beat reminiscent of early Portishead, Yikii supports this with her precise, cloudy, whispery vocals. Various other elements of sound design fill the mix and maintain the presence of the music. These include things like the creaky whine of a swing set, the trill of thousands of bugs moving, reverberating ghoulish synths.
“Five Layers of Crimson Snow” starts off with these tribal drums and tension building strums of what sounds like a yangqin, taking inspiration from traditional Chinese music. Slowly the tension grows more with the drone of a vocaloid choir and Yikii’s vocals in their creepiest form. Combining all this with the hollow ring of some electric strings, “Five Layers of Crimson Snow” is just screaming to be put into a horror classic.
“Scavenger’s Daughter” is a full on throbbing industrial track, with the exhilarating rhythm of a song from NIN’s “Pretty Hate Machine.” Yikii contrasts the dark instrumentation with piercing high and disorienting vocals. This song feels like a panicked run in the woods from something incomprehensible to the human brain. The haunting atmosphere that Yikii creates from just a few distinct elements is something worth appreciating.
“Liminal Space” sounds like the soundtrack to a really old silent film. The atmosphere is bumped up to ten with this mostly experimental track. With the cold sound of old, detuned piano and an uncomfortable string section that sounds like a swarm of bees, this song was made to make your hands clammy.
Conclusion
Yikii’s “Crimson Poem” is anunderrated gem. This album feels like the result of a ten hour YouTube spiral that really paid off in the end. If you are a fan of horror movie soundtracks or simply experimental music, I highly recommend giving this a try. With all of the atmosphere that Yikii develops with her uniquely erratic array of instruments and timing, it is hard to explain why she isn’t as popular as she should be.