Monday 30 November 2009

julien dyne - pins and digits (bbe 2009)


i was going to leave posting about this album until tomorrow but, after having put it on for the first time this evening and now just finished listening to it for the third time...i felt it warranted a few words before slumber sets in.

it's immense in that it seems to straddle a diverse range of musical styles, and weirdly brings together wonky glitch hop and elegant soul (for instance) in a way which makes for interesting and rewarding listening. although only rewarding, and probably just mildly interesting, if you're a fan of both wonky glitch hop and soul...of course.

there's more to it than that, though. Julien Dyne's music also takes us on a tour of chugging tribalesque funk in "Layer", or deep into ambient freakout jazz territory on the beautiful "Spirits". late night-lovers will find warm cwtched up bliss in the understated soul on "Fallin' Down", and tucked away in the middle of the album i think i may have found one of my beats of the year: "The Jung & The Fine" just blows me away - worth the admission price alone.

it's a great album though, because it seems to contain so little filler. each and every track is a winner, and that's pretty rare (although hopefully less so in this digital age of consumers' ability to pick and choose tracks as they wish from releases). "Pins and Digits" seems diverse enough in its style to be interesting, but somehow manages to stay coherent enough as to not annoy...or more importantly see you skipping through the tracks.

without a doubt, definitely one of my contenders for album of the year.

glitchdiscotripwobblefunkjazzwonksoulhop?

yeah g'wan then...

listen to samples & buy at Juno
Julien Dyne on MySpace

xx

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