It has been fascinating following Matthew Dear’s career to date. So far a lot of his music has revealed a darker underbelly to an approach that takes in techno and disco in particular, but more recently his vocals have taken on a greater prominence in his work. So it is with ‘Beams’, his finest work to date – quite a claim for someone who has already set the bar impressively high. There is a warmth here that has only been glimpsed on previous Dear records, and it comes through in the hot and humid ‘Her Fantasy’, a summer anthem in waiting. There is also a subtle sense of humour bubbling beneath the surface, delivered in Dear’s slight deadpan on catchy numbers like ‘Headcage’, which has a chugging slow disco beat. ‘Ahead Of Myself’ also has a brilliant vocal, showing Dear to have incorporated a bit of Dave Gahan in his delivery. The Cure and Joy Division also pop up on the influence checker, but these only have slight bearings on what is a wonderful, slinky and very sexy piece of work from the New Yorker. One of 2012’s best electronic albums, make no mistake.
5 out of 5
Reviewed By Ben Hogwood
