Author: Gavin Brown

★★★★☆

Silicon Tare, the latest chapter of the ongoing sci-fi inspired Com Truise saga that began with the Galactic Melt album, sees the producer setting the tone with this EP for an epic conclusion on one final LP as Com Truise. And what a set up it is. Things start off optimistically with the the dreamy synths and hard 808 stabs that dominate in “Sunspot.” But by the time closing track “Du Zirconia” commences, there is a markedly different vibe to the proceedings. With tense synths the main focus of the track has a quite distant feel to it — not mournful as such but introspective definitely and it’s the perfect way for it to end. An air of uncertainty abounds that you will not be able to wait to get resolved, and you can’t help but feel there is a feeling of loss in there.

What goes on in the middle holds everything together. Sandwiched between these tracks is the continuation of the tale taken to even greater heights. If “Sunspot” starts where “Wave” left off and “Du Zirconia” sets the final chapter up, then the middle lets this part of the tale blossom. With the glorious cinematic synths that have become synonymous with Com Truise at the forefront once again, great swathes of sound cascade creating a mesmerising atmosphere. The hazy “Forgive,” the focussed and punchy “Diffraction” and the moody, reflective title track all sound as close to the future as we can imagine. The penultimate nature of Silicon Tare sets things perfectly for this odyssey to end. Until then you can bask in the glory of Silicon Tare, an EP that is honestly as good as a separate musical identity as it is as part of the Com Truise story.

★★★★☆

Since their inception in the early 2000s when Sascha Ring (Apparat) and Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary (of Modeselektor) united to create something new, Moderat have never disappointed. Their third album, the aptly titled III, doesn’t change that one iota.

III commences with the shimmering “Eating Hooks,” a melancholy opening that sets things off nicely. It is somber for sure but this feeling is combined with a soulful vibe and passionate vocals that take the track higher than the initial sorrowful feel would have you believe. In fact, the song transcends into something ultimately more positive. This positivity continues with the euphoric “Running” in which an energetic beat floats over a bed of glorious soul that explodes at the end of the song with a burst of power. The song has a lot of common with its title and it is this soulful energy and the conflicting mournful nature previous that defines III.

The gorgeous minimalism of “Finder” is a standout that defines the euphoric nature of the album. It makes you feel like summer has arrived thanks to its warm beat that has a Calypso vibe. Elsewhere on this eclectic album “Ghostmother” sounds in turn remorseful and hopeful in a conflicting nature, ending on a funereal and heartbreaking note. “The Fool” sounds like a melancholy version of Kraftwerk while the anthemic “Reminder” soars high with its joyous and free spirited. All of these tracks show the differing sides of Moderat.

The moody “Intruder” and “Animal Trails,” a track that is packed full of off-kilter glitchy beats, showcase an edgier side. Yet it’s one that fits in with the overall feel of things. The fact that III ends with a track called “Ethereal” is entirely fitting. This song is a perfect way to round things off — it’s the epitome of everything that has preceded it.

With so many different emotions coursing through III, it feels like a very human album. The mixture of upbeat and downbeat songs, and the fact that songs can go from down to up and vice versa in a matter of moments, is the mark of something very real. Moderat have proved themselves to be masters of their craft again with an album that will break your heart but lift your spirits too.

★★★★☆

When Philadelphia beat maker/producer RJD2 released his 2002 debut album, Deadringer, on El-P’s Definitive Jux label, it was hailed as an instant classic, an Endtroducing for Def Jukies that not only showed the power of instrumental hip-hop but that it had heart and soul running through it. Since the release of this seminal debut RJD2 has kept more than busy, producing for artists as varied as Cage, MF Doom (under his Viktor Vaughan alias), Murs and Jack Penate and remixing the likes of Massive Attack and Yo La Tengo. Then there’s his work as Soul Position (his duo with rapper Blueprint), among many other projects. Add to this the fact that he has also released another eight albums — either solo or collaborations with other artists — and he has been somewhat prolific. While the rest of his work range in quality from good to excellent, none have really had quite the same impact as Deadringer — until Dame Fortune.

While it is unfair to compare the two albums as such — and this is at no offence to all his other albums — but it seems as though Dame Fortune is the natural successor to Deadringer — the Stillmatic to that album’s Illmatic if you will — in terms of vibe, feeling and that all important mixture of heart and soul.

Dame Fortune kicks off with the eerie synths that morph into something more powerful on “A Portal Inward.” From there you are taken on a journey that ranges from euphoric to heartbreaking and everywhere in between. The skittery but energetic beats of “The Roaming Hoard” give way to the Jordan Brown fronted soulful wonder “Peace Of What,” a Main Source sampling monster of a song that sounds uplifting, haunting and massive all at the same time. It’s precisely here that you know that you are listening to something special. In fact, there is not a weak track on Dame Fortune. From the wholesome funk of “The Sheboygan Left” to the beat heavy “A New Theory” to the passionate “We Come Alive” featuring Son Little to the gigantic sounds of “Your Nostalgic Heart And Lung,” which sounds like how a meeting between Warp alumni Hudson Mohawke and Rustie would sound, there is simply not a misstep on the entire album.

It is best to devour this masterpiece whole in one sitting but there are three tracks that deserve special mention as they are all brilliant songs full of an emotion that can’t be faked: the heartbreaking but ultimately inspiring “Up In The Clouds” (a song that features a stunning verse from Soul Position partner Blueprint); the Phonte Coleman from Little Brother guesting on “Saboteur,” a beautifully stirring song that can’t help but put a smile on your face; and the sublime “PF, Day One,” a graceful string led track inspired by the tragic shooting of Michael Brown. All three of these songs are emotional, anthemic and stand out on an album packed full of highlights. When the final strains of album closer “Portals Outward” ring out, you want to hear it again immediately.

You can’t say that Dame Fortune is a return to form for RJD2 but this is an album that is sublime, eclectic, triumphant, heartfelt and simply wonderful. Dame Fortune is an album with a hip-hop heart and an emotive soul that you will just want to play again and again.

★★★★☆

Underworld have taken on a number of forms since their formation in the 1980s. From their earliest electro-pop leanings to the beginnings of the band we know today for their classic debut Dubnobasswithmyheadman to the chart conquering “Born Slippy.NUXX” and on to their place as dance music’s elder statesmen and sound trackers of the 2012 London Olympics, they are a veritable British music institution.

Never ones to rest on their laurels, Underworld have been constantly evolving throughout their career. Even when they reached their commercial peak for “that song from Trainspotting,” they’ve never wavered from making music that was true to themselves. This is still the case on the band’s ninth album, Barbara, Barbara, We Face A Shining Future, their first full-length in six years, and one that sees Karl Hyde and Rick Smith steadfastly making the music they want and need to make.

Barbara, Barbara, We Face A Shining Future — the title is one of the last things that Rick Smith’s father said to his mother before he died and gives the proceedings a poignant quality that prevails through the album — is Underworld sounding reinvigorated. From the opening fuzzed-up funk urgency of “I Exhale” to the warm strains of “Nylon Strung” that closes the album, the dub and techno elements that Underworld are known for are all present and correct. And there is a hopefulness that makes for a blissful and euphoria-inducing listen.

The band co-produced the album with Welsh drum ‘n’ bass DJ/producer High Contrast, who they collaborated with on “Scribble” on their 2010 album Barking and the 2011 riësto-fronted cut “The First Note is Silent.” Like their previous work together, there is a triumphant feeling of elation throughout Barbara, Barbara. “Low Burn” and “Motorhome” are full of warmth and soul, and the majority of the robotic beats sound soulful and gives you a good indication of the positive feeling that resonates through the album.

The beauty of “Santiago Cuatro” is a highlight here — it’s a mysterious and minimal track built upon layers of Spanish guitar that seems to soar throughout its duration. Likewise the upbeat “Ova Nova,” a laid-back throb, will be stuck in your head — in a good way — and shows the duo’s eclecticism.

Underworld have made an album that is not only thoroughly relevant but also a statement. This is a magnificent album that shows that Underworld are still kings when it comes to creating life-affirming and intelligent music.