Noah Pred’s second album this year is a deeply personal affair. In the last few weeks of his mother’s life he vowed to create a musical work in her memory, ‘as unique as she was’. To do this he moved away from the dancefloor and channelled the inevitably strong feelings of loss and emptiness into what is a compelling and far-reaching album. There are some familiar, analogue-based electronics at work here but Pred works them carefully, feelings bubbling close to the surface in ‘Palmistry’ and the sparse ‘In Black Robes’, where it takes a little while for the disparate strands to come together – but when they do a style approaching dub is the natural resting point. Darker still is ‘When The World Ends Without You’, a brooding riff circulating and applying some sharp edges. Despite the inevitable pain and loss, this is however a record with a strong and optimistic centre, the grieving process enabling Pred to produce a piece of work that has impressive strength in depth. The more you listen to ‘Homewards’ the more of an impact it makes, and each of Pred’s working’s makes musical and emotional sense. Not often you can say that with an album of electronic music!
Ben Hogwood
4 out of 5
NOAH PRED – HOMEWARD – MODULARFIELD
