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Suddenly
Barnes and Noble
Suddenly
Current price: $13.99
Barnes and Noble
Suddenly
Current price: $13.99
Size: CD
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Over a long career arc, electronic producer
took his
project from sunny sample-core to more organic, psyche-tinged creations and beyond. His 2010 album
filtered his unique musical perspectives through a fascination with deep house music, and four years later
delivered some of his more intimate and minimal sounds. Sixth studio album
picks up threads from both of these, pushing the dancefloor-ready style of
as well as
's more softly drawn songwriting into colorful and fun new places. In the interim between
studio albums,
has focused on both an expanded, wildly different live configuration of the project and
, a DJ-modelled offshoot of his production work.
seems informed by a DJ mindset, with
building his songs around a curation of bright samples and unexpected production moves that would fit in a live DJ set. The subdued opener, "Sister," is a spare introduction to the album, clearing the air before "You and I" picks up the pace and sets the tone for the rest of
. Beginning with live drums and a pulsing two-chord figure, "You and I" feels like a more synth-friendly indie rock song before unexpected electronic rhythms and samples erupt out of nowhere. Tracks like "Ravi" and "Never Come Back" return to the four-on-the-floor house rhythms of
,
's falsetto vocals floating amid piano chords, dense percussion, and chopped samples. Throughout the album,
stacks summery samples for the foundations of his wistful tunes. Kindhearted funk and harp samples make up "Home," and a wobbly piano loop on "Sunny's Time" morphs into a barrage of chunky synths, horns, and fragmented rap samples, calling to mind the wildest of
's collage aesthetic.
is playful and sweet for its entirety. Even as
jealously ponders an ex's new partnership on "Like I Loved You," any rejection or hurt that the song could convey is whisked away by hopeful melodies and endearingly out-of-place guitar noodling. The album continues developing the language that
has been working on for years, branching out from the clubby spirit and melancholic reflection of recent albums for more lighthearted sonic atmospheres. ~ Fred Thomas