With each passing release, Mancunian producer, Andy Stott is securing his place as one of the premier electronic musicians still crafting today. His last album, Luxury Problems was a highlight of the 2012 musical year and it could be counted among the top 5 electronic albums of this young decade. The record was highlighted by the sampled vocals of Stott’s former piano teacher, Alison Skidmore, and the horror-evoking use of field recordings and distortion that caused the listener’s hairs on the back of their neck to stand on edge. “Numb” from the aforementioned record was a horror film in music form as the use of the word “touch” as a solitary lyric (for much of the piece’s duration) and a terrifying bass drop, that batters you across the face, part way through were unnerving, anxiety attack inducing and demoralising to anyone that listens. Luxury Problems was not a record to listen to in the dark…
The closing stage of 2014 has brought us a plethora of high-quality electronic releases. Flying Lotus, Caribou and Aphex Twin have all released records that have blown the mind (in very different ways) and it’s encouraging to see/hear, in a world where music is ever-changing, established artists succeeding again and again. Andy Stott’s last record brought him to the world’s collective consciousness and this record, Faith in Strangers, will be what solidifies his place as something other than a one-hit-wonder.
Back in September, “Violence” was released as a pre-requisite to Faith in Strangers and it became apparent that there was something slightly different to on the horizon. Whereas Luxury Problems was the stuff of nightmares, Faith in Strangers’ sequel is post-apocalyptic. You could almost hear Faith being played over the futuristic war scenes in Terminator 2 or replacing “In a House / In a Heartbeat” and “East Hastings” in 28 Days Later. This, in part, makes Stott’s work seem as though he could be an electronic version of Godspeed You! Black Emperor as post-apocalyptic recordings are GY!BE’s bread and butter.
Sampling vocals is a given in much electronic music as you’ll have a loop or a distorted line from a vocalist. Alison Skidmore’s vocals are the centre of any vocal output from Stott’s music and this has been present over both his 2012 and 2014 efforts. Most noteworthy from Faith in Strangers comes “Science & Industry” and “Violence” (the latter of which is possibly the most comparable to his stand-out piece: “Numb”). Skidmore’s delivery, in “Violence”, is just as discomforting as in “Numb” but the lyrics are much deeper. Such spun lines as “You think you’re good until you watch them faint / You’re passing time right over here / Inside, inside” and “Who’s stalking, who’s crouching? / Your glassy words lie so bright” allow for an understanding much more immediate than those of lyrics from many-an electronic producer. It’s something very enlightening and refreshing – especially coming from the producer who brought us such lines as “Touch” and “Just when I’m today / It is just a walk away”. The presence of a much more overt beat (when compared to the sinister, scare-mongering recordings of Luxury Problems) does “Violence” justice too; as it is driven in ways not seen on the aforementioned record. This is what sets Faith in Strangers apart from Stott’s back-catalogue: the focus on a beat is much more in the forefront of his musical soundscapes than before.
As previously mentioned, Andy Stott makes good use of field recordings in his music. As a piece begins, you’ll hear the passing of air over the microphone or Dictaphone but from those opening moments, the sounds will be unrecognisable. The myriad of sounds that could be heard on Luxury Problems were dominated by distortion, fuzz and phase effects and rendered the field recordings completely unrecognisable. Faith in Strangers’ opening track, “Time Away” is an example of this. The album begins with this sound of air passing through but if you expected to hear anything that you could make out from your day-to-day life you will be sorely disappointed. This is what is necessary. Stott’s music thrives on taking the mundane and every-day and turning it into something other-worldly. This is what makes Stott’s music special. This is what makes our Mancunian wunderkind one of the premier electronic musicians around.
Problems with Faith in Strangers only arise when compared to 2012’s Luxury Problems. Unfortunately, these comparisons are inescapable as Luxury was one of the best electronic releases in the past 5 years. When compared to Luxury, Faith doesn’t stand a chance. Luxury was genius and Faith just pales in comparison. That isn’t to say that Faith in Strangers is a sub-par record (not by any means), it’s just that the high points of “Numb”, “Sleepless” and “Hatch the Plan” from the 2012 record make “Violence”, “Faith in Strangers” and “Science & Industry” seem insignificant.
When not comparing internally, Faith is clearly a 2014 triumph. The dynamic shifts, the intuitively formed beats, the introspective and thought-provoking lyrics and the insane moulding of his field-recordings make for an incredibly impressive record. It is safe to say that we now have four fantastic electronic records this year. We have not been disappointed.
Release: 17th November 2014
Genre: Experimental Dub-Techno / Electronic
Previous Works: Luxury Problems (2012)
Contemporaries: Burial, Aphex Twin and SBTRKT
Influences: (self-admitted) The Cure, Prince and Actress
You can download Faith in Strangers from iTunes here or buy the CD or vinyl record here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhVAKO2B8I0
