Synkro’s album “Images” merges atmospheric ambient soundscapes with bold drum production.
Realize is one of my favorite tracks from the album. A staggered opening drum pattern flourishes into wide synth pads that layer up to create huge expansive textures, which the percussion aggressively pokes its way through.
The album creates a modern twist on electronic ambient music from the early 90’s. By adding modern production techniques to one of my favorite periods and styles of electronic music, Synkro has created a great listen that deserves a track of the week mention.
I’ve really enjoyed Alex Cameron’s album Miami Memory. On this album, his wry and often witty lyrics describe characters and build stories around them.
Far From Born Again is a positive take on a woman working in different areas of the sex industry. The novelty of the subject matter makes for a refreshing uplifting track that is only enhanced by its backing music with is well and truly routed in soft rock.
This blend of a genre that has always been safe, to the point of it being almost considered “bland,”mixed with the more raucous subject matter, adds a levity to that track that wouldn’t be there otherwise.
Being able to write tracks that empathize with other people’s perspectives has always been a key part of music, and Alex Cameron manages to do do it brilliantly on this track and on the record. But its his turn of phrase and delivery that truly elevates the record into something I have put on repeatedly. A clear and unique vision that manages to take varied and unusual subject matter and make it an easy and fun listen:
This Four Tet side project is intentionally obtuse. With the name of the artist and all tracks being in the Webdings font its virtually impossible to find internationally.
I first heard the track “/ , ҉ ҉.·๑ඕั ҉ ̸ ̡ ҉ ҉.·๑ඕั ҉ ̸ ̡ ҉ ҉.·๑ඕั ҉ ̸ ̡ ҉ ҉.·๑ඕั ҉ ̸ ̡ ҉ ҉.·๑ඕั ҉ ̸ ̡ ҉ ҉.·๑” through streaming aggregation. But on first listen before I was aware of the tracks heritage i knew it was made by a producer with a clear vision and talent.
Although hard to find and under a different name. The music from ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ never sounds throw away or unfinished and could easily fit on a normal Four Tet Release.
ʅ(ƟӨ)ʃ ꐑ(ཀ ඊູ ఠీੂ೧ູ࿃ूੂ✧✧✧✧✧✧ළඕั࿃ूੂ࿃ूੂ opens the latest double tracked single release with a deep kick drum and busy shuffling hi hat sound that is one of Four Tet’s staples. Unintelligible female vocal samples and a synth provide the two main melodies that weave between each other.
It is a perfect example of what Four Tet does so well. He gets the most he can from only a hand full of elements by using clever arrangement and choosing said elements carefully.
Its this application of techniques that have become Four Tets style. Its simplicity requires a skilled producer to get it right time and time again and Four Tet has achieved it so many times its become synonymous with his sound no matter when pseudonym he records under.
Most of my favorite albums of this year have continued the overarching, modern musical tradition of breaking down genre and building their own styles in the process.
We have had nearly two decades of the internet’s effect on the music industry. For many of its downsides, it’s one undeniable positive is the accessibility of almost the entire history of music to anyone.
The latest artists and producers grew up with the ability to access any piece of music from history and be influenced by it, building their own method from this rich spring of knowledge. This has led to the creation of music that’s hard to tie down; both reminiscent of a nostalgic past and also full of cutting edge production techniques that could only exist in the modern studio.
What we’ve seen over the past five years is a refinement of these techniques. Raw and fresh ideas are always exciting to the listener. To then hone them into something both unique to the artist and yet perfectly presented is a challenge. Thankfully, many artists and producers are now achieving this.
All Mirrors by Angel Olson is my album of the year because it demonstrates the potential of blending modern and classical techniques to create its own sound, which in turn will be seen as a future classic.
The album radiates pure quality throughout. Emotive string arrangements underpin the whole thing, giving an air of the traditional. These organically rich textures, arranged to perfection, hide the more experimental choices in production and instrumentation, which vary massively across the track listing.
A perfect demonstration of this is just after the halfway mark with The Track “Tonight.” That is based around string arrangements, vocals and a traditional drum kit played with brushes, which then goes into the track “summer”. The production of “summer” is built almost entirely synthetically; driven with Drum machines, synthesizers and electric bass providing the accompaniment to Angel Olsens voice. They are massively different in style and sound design, and yet they don’t feel out of place next to each other on the record.
Even on the more “traditional” sounding tracks, processing is always used in unique and modern ways. This is especially true on the vocal tracks, which often have undertones of distortion and phasing, giving them an air of the unusual without ever becoming the motif of the piece.
But these elements never take over the album. On a passing listen, these more experimental embellishments are easily missed. Instead, they’re reserved as extra treats for the analytical listener, giving plenty of reasons for repeat plays.
So to summarise, “All mirrors” does something both incredibly difficult and yet blindingly obvious. It’s a collection of great tracks that never put a foot wrong, all of which are instantly recognisable. The tracks all vary in instrumentation and styles of composition, and yet, with excellent and innovative production, they’re unified as a whole piece of work.
In other reviews on previous years I have said the old cliche that a record is better than the sum of its parts. However In “All Mirrors” all of its parts are the best they can be. This results in an album of the highest quality; one that’s enjoyable both as an easy listen and an analytical one. It manages to take a strong vision with unique production and make it sound completely natural, and in turn, timeless. This type of development and refinement deserves not only my praise but its position as my favorite album of the year.
“Remind Me Tomorrow” was certainly the first album of this year that really grabbed me and its stuck with me for the rest of the year, making it one of the easiest choices for my top five.
Its hard to keep a record sounding fresh over repeated listening. “Remind Me Tomorrow” manages this with a mix of catchy melodic hooks and a cold refined detachment. It creates an overarching haunting style that gives the entire album a direction that holds throughout a collection of tracks, which vary in instrumentation and tempo.
Synths ooze and pulsate through the majority of the album, driving the tracks direction into more sinister corners. Songs about love twist into obsession and sacrifice. Nostalgia turns into missed opportunities. It removes the sheen from even the more upbeat lyrics.
The slower tracks mixed with this style create a thick fog of emotion that underpins the majority of the album.
However, towards its final track, the synths fall further into the background and guitars come to the forefront, bringing a few more rock elements into the mix. With this come brighter and sometimes harsher textures, which, by the end of the album, are nearly uplifting.
This album is a journey with a strong rich atmosphere that allows a collection of great individual tracks to become a great album. It has been on my list for nearly the entire year and has fended off some strong competition to keep its deserved place in my top five:
The Comet Is Coming- Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery
The Comet Is Coming released two great albums in 2019. “The Afterlife” came out towards the end of the year and is a smoother more direct record. “Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery” is the longer more eclectic record and, although they’re both great and play well together, I’d recommend the latter first.
Traditional Jazz Trios are usually made up of an upright bass, piano and drums. Occasionally in the past one of these instruments has been replaced with another, but it will always sacrifice something in the mix, loosing either the bottom end of the bass or the versatility of a piano for another instrument. The Comet Is Coming manage to get around this by replacing the piano with synthesizers, allowing Dan Leavers, their keyboard player, to cover the bass lines and still have the ability to fill out the music with chords and pads.
With Dan Leavers fulfilling the sonic rolls of two players in the traditional Jazz Trio, it frees up a space for Shabaka Hutchings guttural and often aggressive saxophone. He provides the guiding force to the tracks with a strong honking sound, backed up by his personal playing style.
Although they break the conventions of a traditional Jazz Trio in sound and style, the one thing they have in common is the high skill level of all the musicians involved. Max Halletts drums finish off the trio with complex and natural rhythms that both provide structure and bounce off the versatility of the other musicians.
With the undeniable quality of each musician and their ability to play as a group they could easily have stuck within a traditional Jazz Trio mould. But the introduction of synthesizers, which offer a greater pallet of sounds, and their clear interest in other genre means that The Comet Is Coming break through those confines.
But what sets them (and other modern) Jazz players apart from the Jazz Fusion bands of the 60’s is influence from the electronic genres that didn’t exist at that time. The repetitive catchy loops and grooves of dance music are implemented regularly in this album, allowing instant ear worms that hook you as the listener from the first time. They then break out of those sections with fast flowing solos that exchange accessibility with complexity.
The Comet Is Coming demonstrate the evolution of Jazz and what it can be. Introducing new people who will find their mix of genre more appealing. But keeping jazz fans like myself hooked by offering a new rich style that’s faithful to the original ideologies of impressive playing and musical experimentation, but without the baggage of history holding them back.
There have been several bands over the past decade that have played with the same ideas that The Comet Is Coming do. But few have achieved it so succinctly and enjoyably. Trust In The Lifeforce Of Deep Mystery is both an easy and complex listen. It’s full of emotion and ingenuity and manages to have them both without sacrificing either.
The Comet Is Coming released two great albums in 2019. “The Afterlife” came out towards the end of the year and is a smoother more direct record. “Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery” is the longer more eclectic record and, although they’re both great and play well together, I’d recommend the latter first.
Traditional Jazz Trios are usually made up of an upright bass, piano and drums. Occasionally in the past one of these instruments has been replaced with another, but it will always sacrifice something in the mix, loosing either the bottom end of the bass or the versatility of a piano for another instrument. The Comet Is Coming manage to get around this by replacing the piano with synthesizers, allowing Dan Leavers, their keyboard player, to cover the bass lines and still have the ability to fill out the music with chords and pads.
With Dan Leavers fulfilling the sonic rolls of two players in the traditional Jazz Trio, it frees up a space for Shabaka Hutchings guttural and often aggressive saxophone. He provides the guiding force to the tracks with a strong honking sound, backed up by his personal playing style.
Although they break the conventions of a traditional Jazz Trio in sound and style, the one thing they have in common is the high skill level of all the musicians involved. Max Halletts drums finish off the trio with complex and natural rhythms that both provide structure and bounce off the versatility of the other musicians.
With the undeniable quality of each musician and their ability to play as a group they could easily have stuck within a traditional Jazz Trio mould. But the introduction of synthesizers, which offer a greater pallet of sounds, and their clear interest in other genre means that The Comet Is Coming break through those confines.
But what sets them (and other modern) Jazz players apart from the Jazz Fusion bands of the 60’s is influence from the electronic genre that didn’t exist at that time. The repetitive catchy loops and grooves of dance music are implemented regularly in this album, allowing instant ear worms that hook you as the listener from the first time. They then break out of those sections with fast flowing solos that exchange accessibility with complexity.
The Comet Is Coming demonstrate the evolution of Jazz and what it can be. Introducing new people who will find their mix of genre more appealing. But keeping jazz fans like myself hooked by offering a new rich style that’s faithful to the original ideologies of impressive playing and musical experimentation, but without the baggage of history holding them back.
There have been several bands over the past decade that have played with the same ideas that The Comet Is Coming do. But few have achieved it so succinctly and enjoyably. Trust In The Lifeforce Of Deep Mystery is both an easy and complex listen. It’s full of emotion and ingenuity and manages to have them both without sacrificing either.
I’m going to start this review on a bit of a tangent but bare with me. Lets go back to the beginning of the 1960’s. Using electronic components to synthesize audio was very much in its infancy and at the forefront of science. The first synthesizers were only available in university research laboratories. They were created using a mix of electronic apparatus, designed for scientific research purposes, sitting side by side with custom hand built circuitry to create what would now be considered the most rudimentary of modern synthesizers.
Out of this period came two American engineers and designers who took the steps required to move this technology from research laboratory to the public.
The first of which, and probably the best known, is Bob Moog, whose aim was to get these new sounds and techniques into the hands of musicians. He started with large scale modular designs, before creating a portable alternative with only the essential features. The Mini Moog became one of the most iconic synthesisers (if not instruments) of all time and cemented the techniques and design philosophy of Bob Moog into the canon of synthesis design for years to come.
On the other side of America, in California, another visionary had some similar ideas. However Donald Buchla’s approach to synthesis and design philosophy was greatly different.
Instead of trying to appeal to musicians by creating instruments that were easy to understand in a more traditional music structure, Buchla was interested in the experimental. He forced his users to think differently; to create music outside of what had been created before, rather than emulate the past with new equipment. This approach wasn’t as widely accepted as the Moog approach but still had many loyal fans and users who pushed the boundaries of what synthesis, and even music, could do.
Over time, these two styles of synthesis (the “east cost design” of Bob Moog and the “west cost design” of Donald Buchla) have become more intertwined. Modern synthesis design is full of mixes of the two styles; especially with the event of the modular format eurorack. Now the chance of having a Buchla style “complex oscillator” in a system alongside a traditional Moog designed “Ladder Filter” is commonplace in modern modular synthesizers.
But there is still opportunity for artists to delve purely into the design philosophy and thought process of the individual designers. They can do so by buying the synthesizers their companies still make.
And that leads us to Crush by Floating Points; a man who has fully adopted the Buchla style as part of his workflow and performance. A style that has worked its way into the very core of this album.
I’ve personally dabbled with both Moog and Buchla systems in the past. My personal Eurorack has a collection of units that mix and merge the two styles, but in their purest form. I’d say the main difference in thought process between the two original styles are as follows: East coast systems are about building and refinement. You take fairly simple sound sources and then layer and chip away at them with filters and envelopes to create your sound. However, a Buchla system for me works the opposite way, You start with everything and its all about taming the potential into something usable rather than building something usable out of nothing. This may sound like minutia but its a hugely different creative approach that will result in massively different outcome, even if you have the same aims in your head when you start.
Floating points is a master of the second approach. He manages to take a Buchla system and tame enough of the experimental nature out of it to create traditional club tracks when he wants to. This is demonstrated perfectly on the centerpieces of this album “lesAlpx” and “Bias,” which when they are in full motion are all out modern classics.
That isn’t to say he doesn’t let the more experimental elements come out on “Crush”. Many of the tracks take a more complex approach to sound design and melody than the traditional looping hooks of most dance music.
The opening track makes this abundantly clear with a string and brass arrangement that is mixed in with with rapidly flickering samples from a electronically modulated amplifier. It sounds completely fresh and takes elements of the style he used in his first album and subverts them into the more electronic nature of this one.
String and Brass instrumentation are not the only things that help reign in some of the more eccentric nature of the Buchla system. The use of samples, including the Amen Break and other synthesizers and drum machines, intermingle and provide some grounding.
The blend between the more experimental and the refined is perfectly balanced on the album and allows the listener to go on journey or exploration and still have things to latch onto when they feel a little lost.
On first listen the one place I thought the experimental nature of the album fell apart was in its production. I first heard the album through a mono Bluetooth speaker and got very little out of it. The only reason I went back to the record was because of my love for his first album “Elaenia”.
Through a pair of headphones, the album opened up to reveal what a brilliant piece of work it is. The use of stereo is expertly done. Each instrument is given space within the stereo field, and effects allow movement that disappears on a mono system.
The album is also dynamically rich and organic for an electronic album. You mix that with the stereo design and it creates the lush world the album inhabits. A world that’s suffocated on lower quality and mono systems.
Its a bold decision to take this risk but a decision that has precedent from the more experimental electronic music. Especially that featuring Buchla systems.
Buchla synthesizers themselves were early adopters of the stereo field with modules that encouraged their performance on stereo and even quadraphonic systems. This synergy between experimental artists pushing the boundary of live performance and Buchla making systems that allowed them to do this has clearly rubbed off on Floating Points and this album.
On a good set of cans, or a nice stereo Hi-fi system, this album really comes to life. All the original shortcomings melted away and the album quickly became one of my most played this year.
“Crush” is a modern album of electronic music that’s routed in the history of the experimental side of synthesis; especially the Buchla system. It takes bold decisions and expects the listener to come to the album with a certain level of respect to reap its bountiful rewards.
It takes you on an adventure through the unknown, but, by blending the fringes and mainstream elements of synthesis and production, it never leaves you stranded. The result is one of my favorite albums of the year. I’m sure Don Buchla would be proud:
Before I start on a more nuanced review of CALIGULA, I will get straight to the point. This is one of the most intense and often overbearing experiences recorded, not only in this year, but over the decade. For people who look to music as an experience and form of artistic vision – not just as something to be enjoyed, but challenged over – you owe it to yourselves to listen to this album.
On first look at the track listing of this album, you can tell it’s intentions. All capitalized track names like “MAY FAILURE BE YOU NOOSE” and “FUCKING DEATHDEALER” indicate a work that’s going to be dealing with the darker side of life. Rage and aggression are clearly a key influence in all of its recording, but there’s also a vulnerability in the tracks. It’s the way Kristin Hayter plays with these dichotomies that enables the album to have such an impact.
Several genre are mixed to great effect on the record. The most obvious of which would be its interchange between neo-classical and Metal sub genres. This process applies across the board both instrumentally and in vocal delivery.
Vocals switch between many styles, from operatic to Mongolian thought singing. And then in its darker phases, there is the more guttural/aggressive delivery of metal.
The instrumentation also mirrors the vocals, going from lighter more delicate textures with the use of classical piano to darker distorted sounds that warp themselves to the point of synthetic instrumentation. Naturally, this results in a wide dynamic range on the record, which varies from quiet moments of reflection to massive crescendos of power that plunge you into the darker depths of the album’s subject matter.
Stories of abuse, pain and violence are delivered aggressively but always earnestly. It’s this raw openness in the vocal delivery that stops the album from becoming ludicrous. The techniques used could easily fall into bombast to the point of caricature, but CALIGULA faithfully treads the fine line between emotional grandeur and reliability to the listener.
The production does a great job of enhancing these colliding elements to create a collective and succinct whole; especially with the use of room ambiance. Most of the album sounds like it’s recorded in large “classical” spaces, such as open orchestral halls. But at times the room closes in on you as the listener, as the vocals become intimate and almost intrusively direct.
This constant push and pull between styles, methods of recording and delivery always keep you on edge as a listener. It’s only week point for me is the last third of the album, which seems to refine some of the styles to a point that it removes some of the conflict that makes the majority of the work so compelling.
The album ends with a collision of percussion, brass, distortion and screaming that escalates to a hard cut that leaves you as the listener completely disoriented. It’s a perfect challenging conclusion to the album and leaves you dumbfounded and exhilarated. Even with its minor shortcomings, CALIGULA’s bold and innovative approach meant it had to be on my albums of the year. A must for anyone seeking a complex, difficult and thought provoking listen.
Although this album came out in 2003 as a Paddy McAloon solo album, it was re-mastered and re-released this year under his more famous moniker “Prefab Sprout”.
I battled long and hard with my conscience over putting this in my top five. Last year I was perfectly comfortable making “Car Seat Headrest”s remake of his 2011 album “Twin Fantasy” my album of the year. But for “I Trawl The Megahertz” I felt differently. Eventually I decided where my line in the sand was for records that qualified and unfortunately “I Trawl The Megahertz” just didn’t make it.
That difference was re-master vs remake. Although a remaster does use new creative vision and makes the work sound different, it doesn’t re-record the instrumentation of the album. And with that I concluded that It just didn’t qualify for my albums of the year list.
However I had to mention it before my albums of the year, because when it comes to the albums I’ve listened to and enjoyed the most this year. “I Trawl The Megahertz” has featured highly.
There are a handful of records this year that instantly stood out in a playlist. The lush sound stage of strings, whistling, and some sort of ideophone drift into the opening track. This creates not just the mood for the album, but a feeling of a modern orchestra.
The collection of instruments used on this album are so well suited that they could be used to make countless records of incredible music. It demonstrates the talented ear of Paddy McAloon and his ability think about instrumentation and composition in a way that creates a new sonic landscape that doesn’t rest in traditions or conventions.
In turn, this makes the record sit somewhere between genres; cast into an opaque world, with dreamlike flexibility. Moments hint at classical, jazz, and more experimental areas, but it never sits there long enough to become them. Instead it drifts off into new realms and possibilities.
This has a unique effect on you as the listener. It massages you with a collection of different stimuli and ideas. It gave me the same feeling I get when walking round a gallery in a daydream and multiple emotions are stirred in me but then let go as I move onto the next idea and artwork. The effect it creates is a calming, almost meditative state that is easy to relax into.
On the majority of the album the vocals also adhere to this feeling of perusing. Mostly spoken word, they drift between subject matters every few sentences; occasionally hitting on incredibly poignant and thought provoking sections before falling into different feelings and subject matter entirely.
The story behind the album’s creation is interesting in its own right. After surgery to fix detached retinas, Paddy McAloon had to spend his recovery with little visibility . Over this time period he became interested in radio, including documentaries and phone in shows, which he would record. These recordings then became the inspiration for many ideas in the album. It’s more obvious on tracks like “I’m 49” but its always there in its composition.
The weight of this albums history would always give it a special place for music fans like myself. But even if you take it at entirely face value, you are still left with a record that is both a visionary portrayal of an artist’s thoughts and a unique emotional experience for the listener. For me, there’s no higher praise I could give to a record.
Even though “I trawl the Magahertz” didn’t fit my standards for an album of the year 2019, I know it will stay with me, and grow on me for many years to come, as I approach the age Paddy McAloon was when he made it. There are very few records I would hold in this high an esteem and this exquisite remaster allowed me to hear it for the first time and find something truly special no matter what year it was released.
2019 has been another great year for music and the albums of this year have been particularly hard to choose. After much deliberation I’ve decided my favorite five albums and my album of the year and I’m finally happy with my decisions.
Today I will post a honorable mention that couldn’t quite make the list for criteria reasons. Then from tomorrow I will be posting my first runner up and will continue releasing a review a day until my album of the year review on to new years day.
All of the albums mentioned are worth a listen. They show what I believe to be the best of what music has to offer, from the several hundred records I’ve listened to this year.
Although there have been many records that have been great this year with hundreds of outstanding tracks. I believe these 5 albums and 1 honorable mention to be the best complete works as albums from the year.
If anyone has any other suggestions feel free to comment and I will give any I missed during the year a listen.
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