Matthew Herbert's Scale is justifiably one of the acclaimed albums of the year. I almost hesitate to call his work merely electronica, as it really transcends mere beeps and bloops. There's a lot of programming and cut-and-paste occurring, but there's also an incredible amount of emotion, songwriting and, believe it or not, political context in the work. While electronica is generally not the most meaningful genre, Herbert is really a visionary, going as far as to provide a methodology. Herbert's partner Dani Siciliano, who just released her second solo album, Slappers, also provides fantastic vocals and slick hooks.
There's a jazzy element to both albums, with Dani's distinctive vocals and abundant horns. A few years ago he released Goodbye Swingtime, with a full-fledged twenty-piece ensemble. While not quite the excellence of Scale, it's very interesting stuff.
Here's a set that band performed at the London Jazz Festival at Royal Festival Hall on November 10th, 2003.
Enjoy:
1. Intro
2. Turning Pages
3. Chromoshop
4. Simple Mind
5. Big Dance
6. Café de Flore
7. Overexposed
8. Foreign Bodies
9. The Audience
10. Fiction
Shock and Awe: Here
In other news...
Pitchfork reports that Emily Haines is touring again in January. Metric's European tour starts tomorrow.
The Rangers play host to the Panthers tonight. I might have to see if I can grab a ticket; I've been hockey deprived.
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