Si Begg has been busy over the last four years, but this is the first time we can really see the fruits of his labours in album form. In that time he has scored feature films, documentaries and the Netflix series ‘Lovesick’ – but now ‘Blueprints’ sees him responding to an old diagrammatic notebook that belonged to his grandfather. The album’s packaging looks to recreate the artefact, while the atmospheric music itself shows how broad Begg’s sonic canvas has become over the last few years. This is incredibly spacious music, best heard on headphones, and it often has a slow and stately movement in keeping with the drawings. ‘Thermal Efficiency Of Power Stations’ spins out the timeless elements of his writing, while ‘Heat Resistant Alloys’ develops into something of real substance. Occasionally the energy really cuts loose, and the sparkling electronics of ‘Isometric Projection’ show what a painter in sound this intriguing and highly original artist has become.
Ben Hogwood
4 out of 5
