The boys behind Simian Mobile Disco have been very busy over the past five years, releasing what is now their third bonafide full length, as well as a compilation record and remix album on top. In between all of that, they're constantly hopping onto other peoples songs, trying to put their own spin to them. Basically, it's all manic in the monkey house as the Simian duo finally drop album number three onto our doorsteps, and it couldn't be less busy if it tried.
This is still unmistakable SMD, with intricate rhythms, carefully planned structure and a real feel that you've been pulled in, but this collection is far more mature and refined than earlier efforts, most notably the debut 'Attack, Delay, Sustain, Release'. Opener 'I Waited for You' slow builds into this hypnotic beast that repeats its title over and over with a synth-heavy, near-minimilistic quality that at no point becomes boring or unlistenable. It grabs your attention and makes you listen because you feel a real connection to the music.
Cerulian, despite being entirely lyric-free follows a similar pattern. In fact, pretty much the whole of the rest of the album is. No note is placed in without it being deserving of its place. No knob is twiddled for fun. No sample used without it being a 100% fit. This is music snobbery at its very best and only the right pieces go together to make this jigsaw fit. 'Put Your Hands Together' is another fine example of a great song that doesn't do much physically different throughout its opening four and a half minutes, but the way its presented makes it an absolute blinder. Even when the main beat seems to change two thirds in, it's not an unwelcome surprise, and even then the song finds a way to round itself off as a complete package before it hits its 8th minute.
Personally, I find this entire record to be incredibly soothing without ever feeling sleepy. The electric dischords of Seraphim, with various twinkles layered with great subtlety would put you at ease with the world around you without even having any political or hard-hitting message behind it. Even the minimal, yet frantic and frustrated intro to 'A Species Out of Control' struggles to jolt or disjoint its listener. It gives the album yet another layer of intrigue which works in its favour. This track in particular is the closest 'Unpatterns' comes to a club hit with its thumping bass drum driving the beat along for the most part, but it cleverly weaves between its various phases to keep the listener hooked in to listening to it. In fact, the only real problem I have with the whole record is that some of the pitch changes in 'Interference' are a bit too jarring for my personal tastes, and are a little too uncomfortable for the ears, especially when the main melody gets so high-pitched, it awakens half the canine population of my neighbourhood.
By the time you get to the closing third of the album, you pretty much know where you stand with it, and while 'Your Love Ain't Fair' slips back towards the club again, Pareidolia with its partial beats, occasionally off timing, and constant, yet deliberate, interruptions sounds more like the walk home in the rain that follows. Not that that's a bad thing mind you, it appears to act as a reminder of the good night that's gone before, and if this album was the metaphorical incarnation of a night out, it's certainly a night to remember.
Overall though, as the album winds its way towards it This is a dance album for people who don't want to just dance, so to speak. This is a dance album for people who want to experience music at its best.
'Unpatterns' doesn't have any stand out singles. It doesn't have a single song you think would smash the Top 5 and suddenly appear on a "Now" compilation, and it's all the better for it. This is an album that fits together carefully. The tracks have been ordered to tell a story through music. It's the kind of album I long for. One with a defined beginning, middle and end. Not one with all the best songs at the start and filler for skipping towards the back end of the record. This is one masterpiece split into nine acts, and each one is worthy of an encore.
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This is still unmistakable SMD, with intricate rhythms, carefully planned structure and a real feel that you've been pulled in, but this collection is far more mature and refined than earlier efforts, most notably the debut 'Attack, Delay, Sustain, Release'. Opener 'I Waited for You' slow builds into this hypnotic beast that repeats its title over and over with a synth-heavy, near-minimilistic quality that at no point becomes boring or unlistenable. It grabs your attention and makes you listen because you feel a real connection to the music.
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