Record of the Week: Baths – Cerulean (Anticon)
Last Summer we were graced with an absolute killer glitch-hop album in Bibio’s Ambivalence Avenue, which was our Record of the Week as well for June 23rd, 2009. We still listen to that album consistently in here and odds are, if you’ve been in here in the past year, you might have even been suggested it!
Well it looks like we have found our glitch-hop album of Summer 2010 with Baths’ Cerulean. Not looking to fall into the oft-maligned “chillwave” label, Will Weisenfeld, brainchild of Baths, layers rhythms on top of complex rhythms with plenty of melody in between to create an album that certainly isn’t for chilling.
Baths takes a little bit of a lot of good things. The similarities to Bibio are certainly there, in that both take an almost folktronica approach. The singing on top of the tracks also bears a striking similarity. There is definitely a little bit of Prefuse 73 as well but it’s not too overly complex, leaving plenty of room for the song itself to shine.
All in all, an absolutely essential purchase right now and a completely surprising debut album from Baths.
Listen to “Maximalist” from Baths’ Cerulean
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Brad Rose has been performing under the North Sea moniker for some time now and his sound has evolved with each release. And he certainly puts out releases as I think this is his 26th full length. He has ventured into the darker realm of music the past year, calling to mind Throbbing Gristle or Whitehouse. Certainly not a noise record, this dark ambient record is one of the most disorienting and frightening albums you’ll hear in some time and is damn near perfect.
Listen to “Reunion” from the North Sea’s Bloodlines
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Dan:
July 13th, 2010 at 4:57 am
This album is a great blend of a lot of new sounds.
There has been criticism that the vocals and not needed here, but I think they separate Baths from many of the others in the LA beat scene. It adds a nice pop sound and makes it easier on the ears.
Really enjoying this album this week. Good choice.