Michael Dear grabs DMCWORLD’s No. 1 long player of the year
Words : Ben Hogwood
What will you remember from 2012? Did you injure yourself attempting ‘Gangnam Style’? Did we do ourselves proud in the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee? One thing is for sure, it was another excellent year for music – and electronic music did not disappoint either, judging by the wrangling it took to come up with this pair of top tens. So sit back, top up the Pimms Winter Warmer and see what you think of this little lot:
1) Matthew Dear – Beams (Ghostly International)
Matthew Dear has been on the radar for some time, but this is the album that moves him up another level. The main reason for this is his transformation into a vocalist of Dave Gahan-like gravitas, with a confidence on stage that makes his live show a must see rather than an add-on. The music is pretty amazing too, straight out of Brooklyn with sultry, slinky disco numbers like the irresistible ‘Her Fantasy’, with its immortal line “and it’s one, in a million hearts, that feels the way, the way I do”. Think black coffee, dark chocolate and dark suits – all a bit David Lynch – and you’ve got Dear off to a tee. Without question the sexiest album of the year.
2) John Talabot – ‘fIN’ (Permanent Vacation)
Some more hot weather music from Spanish producer John Talabot, whose first album cements his rise through the ranks of Hivern Dis and Young Turks. As we said in our review, the key to his success is the warmth he gets from spacey keyboard textures and fairly slow, disco-influenced beats – but if this all sounds familiar it gets a treatment that makes it somehow sound totally unique, as he manages to look back to classic house and forward to new textures all at the same time. Truly a record that cast a spell.
3) Robert Hood – Motor: Nighttime World 3 (Music Man)
In which the rehabilitation of Detroit moves another step closer to completion. The city may have had its well documented problems with the motor industry’s collapse and subsequent shoots of recovery, but the music has never suffered in the same way. Robert Hood used it to document his thoughts and feelings on the Motor City, and came up with an album that shines in the relative darkness. The smaller sections combine to make a whole that runs almost as one long piece of instrumental techno, with light and shade, movement and stillness, big bassy drums or small, brushed ones. Either way it is a grower, a piece of work that confirms Hood to be one of the finest sources of techno around today.
4) Lindstrøm – Six Cups Of Rebel (Smalltown Supersound)
This was the first Lindstrøm album to split opinion. Some thought it was a step too far, self indulgent and too psychedelic. Arguably, though, it is the most daring thing the Norwegian has ever done – and is a complete riot from start to finish, with rolling drums, squelchy bass sounds and weird, off kilter vocals – nothing you’d expect from a producer who was previously coming up with spacey disco or cultured 80s electro. All power to his elbow though, for Lindstrøm keeps everything that has made him good – and stirs it in with a healthy dose of madness. Never a dull moment!
5) Breton – Other People’s Problems (FatCat)
Breton are a fascinating collective – in fact there is nothing like them. Up until now they’ve all lived at the same address in South London as part of an audio visual arts collective, honing their musical skills while they work on some startlingly good video projections. You get the sense they are driven to be constantly creative, and that comes across in their music, which bristles with attitude but has moments of unexpected tenderness and insight. The songs on ‘Other People’s Problems’ take elements of grime, hip hop and rap but never conform to a specific genre, so you’re left with a half spoken and half sung style that is totally unique. On powerful songs like ‘Edward The Confessor’ and ‘Governing Correctly’ this comes into its own, presenting five voices that have plenty to say but who have their own innovative twists on saying it.
6) Sebastien Tellier – My God Is Blue (Record Makers)
Is there a male vocalist with more style than Sebastien Tellier? It’s tempting to think not, especially on the evidence of ‘My God Is Blue’, where he swoons and soars his way through big cinematic productions (‘Russian Attractions’), slinky funk (‘Cochon Ville’) and dreamy asides to the listener (‘Pepito Bleu’). Elsewhere he taps in to the output of Prince, with some pretty outrageous but completely enjoyable guitar work. If there was any justice he would be chosen to sing the next Bond theme, but in the unlikely event of that happening let’s just keep him as our Gallic secret.
7) John Foxx and the Maths – The Shape Of Things (Metamatic)
John Foxx is on a roll at the moment, an irresistible creative force that keeps on giving. When he works with the ‘Maths’ (aka Ben ‘Benge’ Edwards) he finds a zeal in electronic music that suits his edgy vocals and the lyrics too, where he sings of cities, technologies and modern love. ‘Vapour Trails’ and ‘September Town’ are as good as anything he’s written in his career, while the bass to ‘Talk’, together with a slightly sinister vocal, will send a shiver down the spine. Don’t look away, for if you do you’ll miss another Foxx opus – and if ‘The Shape Of Things’ is anything to go by, the more work he does the better!
8) Orbital – Wonky (ACP)
Eight years in electronic music is a small lifetime, so it came as a huge relief to report that Orbital’s return from the wilderness was an especially good one. They served notice of this with the incredibly catchy ‘New France’, with the piercing vocals of Zola Jesus creating an instantly memorable melody. Even better things can be found on the album in the shape of the rather lush ‘Stringy Acid’ and bittersweet ‘One Big Moment’. Their best work since ‘In Sides’.
9) Nathan Fake – Steam Days (Border Community)
Norfolk seems to be an unexpected hot bed of activity where inventive techno is concerned – at least it is if you’re the Border Community label. Luke Abbott lives there, but Nathan Fake is the one who made a record this year – and in ‘Steam Days’ produced his finest and most inventive work yet. The rather lovely ‘Paean’ is a gorgeous opener, with some melting harmonies that work really well, but that sets the scene for harder tracks like ‘Glow Hole’ and ‘Old Light’, which works a 303 to distraction. Fake is a restless creative spirit, but in a good way, as he always seems to be pushing for the next level. He certainly found it on ‘Steam Days’.
10) Speech Debelle – Freedom of Speech (Big Dada)
You have to admire Speech Debelle, who puts her Mercury Prize problems behind her with this assured and confident follow up, strong in voice and mind. From the start of ‘Studio Backpack Rap’ it’s quite clear she’s not going to take any crap, but there are more carefree moments too, such as the relaxed funk of ‘I’m With It’. Perhaps the most telling lyric of all is found in ‘Eagle Eye’, where she declares “you can’t clip these wings”. Full marks both to Big Dada for ironing out any bad blood, but most of all for Debelle and her thoroughly positive response to the critics.
