Arthur Cayzer dispenses with percussion pretty much altogether for his debut album, but don’t let that stop you getting to know it – because ‘Here From Where We Are’ is an ambitious and incredibly spacious piece of work. There are of course plenty of electronic pioneers that have done this sort of thing before, but Pariah reels you in right from the first track ‘Log Jam’, which bubbles energetically. This is where he scores highly as an album creator, able to move from these tracks that generate momentum and implied rhythms to wide open soundscapes like ‘Linnaea’, a sublime piece of work of which the likes of Jon Hopkins would be proud, its glistening electronics set over a vast cloud of atmospherics. Similarly ‘At The Edge’ has a thick texture that shoegazers will appreciate massively, before it too blossoms into a piece with busier electronics and sweeping tones. As the album progresses so too does the feeling of weightlessness, the listener soaring high above the ground and able to either zone out completely or move into deep contemplation. It all depends on your bag at the time – but rest assured Pariah fills those briefs and more with this dazzling debut.
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
PARIAH – HERE FROM WHERE WE ARE – HOUNDSTOOTH
