Released: October 2, 2012
Every time I listen to this record, I hear something different. One day I hear Bill Laswell, the next Parliament, the next Bowie or Prince or Zappa. I heard the Grateful Dead once, but even though I’ve tried, I just can’t find that vibe again. I hear dodgy wanker music on Monday and then on Tuesday I hear a human interpretation of God. Last weekend I was listening in my car and I swore that “Putty Boy Strut” was straight out of an old N64 game from an alternate universe.
The crazy thing about Until the Quiet Comes is I’m pretty sure all of the above is true.
This album is a shapeshifter. It takes what I’m feeling and reflects it back to me through a funhouse mirror. It senses what I want to hear and it gives me what I need.
One other thing: this is cohesive. Seriously, every note belongs. This isn’t a bunch of songs randomly stuck together, this a unified body. A weird unified body, but still a unified body.
Highly recommended for anyone who likes being challenged by music.
I’m through my first listen and I get why this is not a single listen record. I think the beats are the strength though. For lack of a better word, they’re very “crooked,” but in a way that drives the songs rather than making a mess. Kind of like how Ornette Coleman or John Zorn can get way outside of everyone’s idea of music and still make a cohesive record. I think my only complaint is a few questionable song transitions, but even there, it is easy to get sucked right back into the music. I agree that it is challenging, but I think it is still remarkably listenable. It could work in the background or it ca be, to use your term, engaging music. For those who like the challenge, they can get a lot more out of it, but there is enough there even for those who don’t.
I read that he learned to play piano during the writing and recording of his latest record so that he could better understand the analog instruments that underlie the electronic. Nothing on this record makes me think he doesn’t understand, so I’m anxious to see if that approach impacts his work.
That’s a really good point. This is a challenging and weird album but you’re right, it’s also extremely listenable. That’s a difficult balance to find, and he found it.