ALBUM REVIEW: JLIN - BLACK ORIGAMI

JLIN
BLACK ORIGAMI
Electronic, IDM, Footwork.
Planet Mu.
Listening Format: CD & Digital.














Jlin is the recording alias of Jerrilynn Patton, an Electronic producer from Indiana, USA and signed to British label Planet Mu. 'Black Origami' is her second full length album that expresses a near continuous stream of tracks that rarely take a break. Her sound is very fast, choppy and bass heavy. She plays with lots of percussion, combining wonky techno beats with samples of tribal percussion, often overlapping each other in the same track. Her productions are very loud, packed full of chopped and screwed vocal samples that often become the motif of the song. For example 'Enigma' consists of a vocal sample that sounds like it is repeating "yah ting" for the whole duration.

In terms of composition, her music and the way it is presented is quite crass and very in your face. If you are looking for something subtle, moody or atmospheric, you've come to the wrong place. All of the songs here are quite joyous and a lot of fun. There is a lot of bounce to the production. If you happened to be at a warehouse rave or a Boiler Room set and a DJ dropped any one of these tracks into the mix, I guarantee the whole place would be dancing and getting their groove on.

Sure there is a lot to enjoy on this album and plenty to admire in the overall sound pallet. But there are some shortcomings too. 'Black Origami' is pretty much a one track minded album. It doesn't take long to really get what Jlin is going for here, and by the time you get to track three, you've basically heard everything this album has to offer. The same rhythms and ideas are repeated all over the album, which means if you listen from start to finish, everything starts to blur into one. In the way the tracks are sequenced, it isn't even that easy to tell when one song ends and the next begins. With the occasional exception, the tracks begin and end rather abruptly, and then she'll move on to the next track which will sound just as familiar. This means that by the time you get two thirds of the way through this album, it actually becomes rather tedious and grating. If ever an album was begging for some kind of interlude, or just some kind of variation away from the set formula, it is this one. I feel like Jlin forgets to throw in any real surprises.

On the surface, 'Black Origami' is cosmetically similar to the Death Grips 'Steroids' EP I recently reviewed and rated an 8/10. I also described that release as playful, crass, as being packed with dense and layered, fast moving sounds. However Death Grips had the foresight to keep it to just 22 minutes, and even then it not only had more variation and ideas on display, but also a real fire and urgency to it. Sometimes I feel like Jlin isn't letting her imagination run as wild as the choppy drums and fast shifting beats are. Some of the samples here of whistles, phone dial tones and stock answer machine messages just feel like old hat in 2017. This is something I would expect to hear on an 80s Acid Techno compilation, and even though some of this distinctive samples become some of the more memorable moments in the second half of the record, they stick out as sounding cheap and obnoxious. 

Jlin is clearly good at arranging her productions and compositions. Her use of bouncing, bass heavy beats, and her infusions of tribal percussive sounds are all admirable. But I feel like this album just needed more. It's like she had two or three really solid ideas, and that was it, she crafted an entire album out of just that. 'Black Origami' doesn't get boring, but it does get tedious. And yes there is a difference between the two. You can easily get down and dance your ass off to any of the tracks here, but you'll soon be begging for some kind of variation or new idea to be introduced as you start to get worn out by this record. And once you come away from it, you realise there hasn't been enough substance behind it to really come away with a meaningful impression. But it will make you sweat... 5/10.

ALBUM REVIEW: CLARK - DEATH PEAK

CLARK
DEATH PEAK
Electronic, Ambient Techno.
Warp Records.
Listening Format: Vinyl (mostly) also CD and Digital.














When you think about Warp Records you instantly picture Aphex Twin, Autechre, Boards of Canada and Squarepusher... Boundary pushing Electronic musicians who not only defined Warp, but the entire genre in the 1990s. But once Warp moved into the 00s, some excellent new blood took the forward thinking label to the next level, including Bibio, Battles, Flying Lotus and of course, Christopher Stephen Clark.

Since the start of this century, Clark has been very prolific, releasing an album every two years at least, with many EPs and singles in between. Clark is blessed by not only being a distinctive and innovative composer and producer, but each of his albums are rather different in approach and concept, yet still have that unifying Clark feel and sound.

[SOLILOQUY!] Before I go any further I have a slight gripe that I have with Warp Records. I have been listening to 'Death Peak' on vinyl. Clark's previous record 'The Last Panthers' was about 46 minutes long and perfectly fit onto a single vinyl disc. 'Death Peak' runs at only 43 minutes long, yet has been stretched out over 4 sides of wax! Not only is this so unnecessary, breaking the flow of the album, but they didn't even have the courtesy to make it run at 45RPM for superior sound quality!!! Come on Warp... Why you gotta play me like that??!! [END SOLILOQUY]

Clark's ninth full length 'Death Peak' once again feels like it has a unifying concept running through it. The sounds and ideas try to tell a story without using words or lyrics. It certainly sounds nothing like his underrated previous album, 'The Last Panthers', which delved into Ambient music and live instrumentation, being a score for the BBC TV series of the same name (CHECK IT OUT!) 'Death Peak' is very much drawing back to a synthetic sound, with squelching synthesizers and wonky beats. Though Clark does implement (mostly) female vocals, adding an ethereal, indecipherable sound to many of these tracks. 'Catastrophe Anthem' even adds what sounds like a children's choir between the choppy synth leads. These use of vocals feel like a new tool that Clark is playing with and for the most part they are used in interesting ways and don't detract from the listening experience.

The main problem with 'Death Peak' is that whilst it is full of plenty of varying ideas, it suffers from a lack of interesting cohesion, structural development and most importantly, memorable melodies and hooks. The record really kicks into gear with, 'Butterfly Prowler', lead by this swirling, detuned synth loop that sounds like the listener is being spun around on a waltzer ride. Conceptually very interesting, but on repeat listens the lack of a decent melody in this track actually makes it become more annoying each time I spin this record (which has been about 15 times now on various formats). The two winning tracks for me come directly after. 'Peak Magnetic' is a rollercoaster of peaks and troughs, where the synths and hard beats actually compliment one another, riding in tandem. 'Hoova' is a straight up techno banger which builds into hard arpeggiated synths where the beats wrap around it.

Unfortunately the second half of the record enters less riveting territories. It feels like Clark is really trying to do something innovative, but if also feels like he is throwing paint at the canvas just to see what sticks. Even after many, many listens, very little other than 'Catastrophe Anthem' seems to be remotely memorable to me on this second half of the record (and I don't particularly dig this track). It just feels like an awkward mess with no clear direction. The album concludes on a ten minute long "side length" 'Un U.K.' which is literally ten minutes of nothingness... It feels like scraps of leftover ideas just stuck together with no rhyme or reason, eventually drifting off into a vague hum.

I've honestly enjoyed every single Clark album til now. Even his "Folktronica" effort 'Iradelphic' is an album of his I frequently come back to, despite critics and fans generally considering it his worst effort. Unfortunately for me, 'Death Peak' is the first major disappointment in Clark's wonderful discography. Even though some of his best signatures and trademarks are present, it feels like Clark is actually trying too hard this time around, desperately trying to grab the listener or say something bold, but actually saying very little at all. Ultimately 'Death Peak' is an album that screams in the face of the listener, but what it is trying to scream at me is totally garbled and indecipherable... 6/10.

#293: BOARDS OF CANADA - TRANS CANADA HIGHWAY

2006.
IDM, Ambient, Electronic.
Warp Records.

When it comes to Warp Records artists, I tend to prefer their EPs to their actual full length LPs. Autechre and Aphex Twin tend to release an EP or two around the same time as each album, and with both of these artists I love the EPs even more (and the albums are brilliant too of course). The same goes with Boards of Canada. "In a Beautiful Place..." to me is their magnum opus, even if it is a third the length of "Geogaddi" (which is also a masterpiece). Perhaps I have a short attention span, or maybe I like it when things are concise?

If I had to pick between "The Campfire Headphase" or this one, I think the EP wins again! I know that "Dayvan Cowboy" was already on the album, but this may just be Boards of Canada's greatest tune! I think it works well in its own EP because the songs that surround it seem to fit that sound better than on the album (which to be fair is more diverse). Some fans criticised the addition of guitars on "Campfire...", but on "Dayvan Cowboy" they are so excellently placed, and used sparingly. If anything they enhance the power and the mood of their gorgeous floaty synth sounds. The track definitely has a My Bloody Valentine feel, and is also one of the most uplifting and beautiful songs I've ever heard. Watch it with the brilliant music video for an even enhanced feeling.

"Left Side Drive" and "Skyliner" have similar sounds and moods to the opening masterpiece. I love the way the synth sounds translucent, like it is slowly disappearing into the ether. I get the feeling of gazing out of the window of a plane as it sweeps through the clouds, with the beautiful glistening sea below. Perhaps it should have been called "Trans Canada Skyway" instead. The Odd Nosdam remix that closes this EP doesn't seem to get much love, but I liked it. It's a very minimalist and vaporous version that goes into more pure Ambient territory and it is a nice way to close a truly beautiful record. This is Boards of Canada at their prettiest and most emotional. A triumphant and uplifting record. 9/10.