Mount Kimbie's highly praised Crooks & Lovers album! You've probably heard of these guys from all the internet buzz, their EPs, or remixes for the likes of The xx and The Big Pink, but this is their debut full length on Paul Rose's (aka Scuba) progressive Hotflush label. This is one of those incredible albums that also happens to be incredibly hard to describe or categorize (in many ways like Actress' Splazsh or Scuba's Triangulation). It's part downtempo, part electronica, part hip-hop, part house, part ambient, part rock... you get the picture - it's a whole lot of things wrapped up into one, all loosely falling under the "post-dubstep" umbrella. The album opener "Tunnelvision" sets the tone with its vast cavernous echoes and loose acoustic guitar all over a deep shuffling beat, then it moves on to the brilliant "Would Know" and the melodic, steppy beats of "Before I Move Off." Blind Night Errand" and "Carbonated" introduce some low end sub bass and a garage tempo, so you can actually get a floor movin', then it's back to the chilled-out vibes of "Adriatic," "Ruby," and "Ode To Bear." The album closes out with the hypnotic pulse of "Field," the extra soulful garage funk of "Mayor" and the pensive and spacious "Between Time." Burial, Prefuse, Eno, and Fourtet come to mind when listening to this... and yeah that's a obv a good thing. Recommended.

• black double vinyl pressing
• music label: Hotflush 2010

reviewed by snackmaster 08/2010