SUB FOCUS - TORUS

So, following his various singles, I expected good things from this album. An owner of his self-titled debut, which is a great drum'n'bass album (whilst flirting with other genres), I automatically pre-ordered Torus. And it didn't disappoint...



So, my thoughts:

The album opens with the beastly title track. The first minute of "Torus" is a perfect example of how to open an album - eerie, intense, and intriguing. As the track progresses, it looses it's way a teeny bit, but it's still a powerful opener and also sets the tone for the album - this is not a stream of huge drum 'n' bass CHOOONZ. Next is the first d'n'b offering, the awesome "Safe in Sound." At this point in time, this is my favourite track of the album - the operatic vocals, the anthemic chord progressions, it's brilliant. I cannot listen to this track enough, seriously. Third is the first of the album's numerous pre-released singles, "Endorphins" featuring Alex Clare of "Too Close" fame. The track really is textbook chart-step. No issues with that, it's expertly produced, but it's not an album maker-or-breaker for me.

Next is another single, "Out The Blue" with guest vocals by Alice Gold. This sounds much more like Douwma's first album, albeit a bit more chunky and fleshed-out. Another choon that'll be a favourite of the mainstream Sub Focus fans. Following this is "Twilight" - an interestingly minimal track, full of clicky drums, washy pads, and big wobbly sub bass. Track 6 sees yet another switch up in style, with the immaculately produced "Close" featuring MNEK. This track leaves me unsure - on the one hand it's excellently produced and very very good. But it also has a whiff of unoriginality. This could very, very easily be Disclosure. But it isn't. Then comes another favourite of mine - the deliriously up-beat "Turn It Around" featuring vocals by Bloc Party frontman Kele (which makes it understandable as to why I love this song so much). I can understand the song might be a bit pop-y for some, but it still has the Sub Focus feel and the second drop makes for a wonderfully uplifting ending.

Into the second half of the album, and we move on to the surprising "Out of Reach", a collaboration with Welsh up-and-comer Jayelldee. The track is a complete departure from the bass-centric tendencies of the rest of the album, featuring some excellent african influences and some nice live drumming. Another stand-out track. And then we all recieve whiplash as we move to "Falling Down," a previously released single featuring Kenzie May. This is very much dubstep, and good too. Then another change to "Turn Back Time," a confusing mix of late 80's/early 90's dance and the type of bass music favoured by today's crowd. This is a track that I'm still undecided on, mainly because I feel the drop isn't as heavy as it seems to intend to be. There's clear intent for the sort of big-kick-drum-with-syncopated-stabs sound that we know from track's like Knife Party's "LRAD". But it isn't quite there. Following this is the slightly weak collaboration with Culture Shock and TC, "You Make It Better." Some nice vocals, but an otherwise cold track.

The penultimate piece is the song that got me to sit up and pay attention to Sub Focus again - "Tidal Wave." This is a track that as soon as I heard it, I fell in love. Alpines heart-felt vocals soar across the hypnotic pulsating of pitch-bent synths and bass, before dropping into the typical drum 'n' bass ending that takes the song to the next level. And closing the album is another strange track - the heavily 80's-influenced "Until The End" with vocals by Foxes. Where I was expecting a surging, all-guns-blazing, punch-in-the-air kinda finale, we are instead greeted with a very smooth ballad. A disappointment for some, but I think it makes for an interesting close. And the track fades into the sort of sounds and effects one could expect from The Chemical Brothers, swelling before suddenly cutting out in one of the most sudden endings I've heard.

In conclusion, this is an album that I'm glad I pre-ordered. There are no 'bad' tracks, and some excellent ones that I won't get tired of for some time. My main gripe is that it jumps around a lot, taking sounds from the 80s, 90s and 00s, and from all walks of electronic music. In many ways, this makes the album fantastic, but it means that as a whole, it doesn't gel very well. It isn't greater than the sum of its parts. And as much as I don't want to say it, and it may not be true, but there's a niggling sense of chasing commercial gain by making everything that's popular. But I doubt this is the case. And regardless, these are some excellent, excellent tunes, by anyone's standards.

HIGHLIGHTS: Safe In Sound // Turn It Around // Out of Reach // Tidal Wave

LISTEN TO THE WHOLE ALBUM HERE

MY 5 FAVOURITE ALBUMS EVER (SO FAR)

So, this isn't gonna be an accurate list, I'm not considering this very hard. This is simply what I feel to be my favourite ever albums at this point in time. Literally, this minute. Like, now. And I'm not saying these necessarily contain the best music ever - I just happen to love these albums in their entirety, as a complete body of work. What's more, this is not some rundown. Fuck am I choosing 1 favourite. Choices are absolutely not my speciality.

DAFT PUNK - DISCOVERY (2001)
An obvious choice that very very few people could dispute. An album adored beyond the EDM world, it broke ground for dance music like nothing before it, and defined Daft Punk. It was no surprise that Random Access Memories couldn't top this - it went on to influence pop music, dance music, even Kanye West. That's pretty impressive. Oh yeah, and the actual music is superb - pop perfection that still sounds fresh after 12 years. And the accompanying film 'Interstellar 5555' is great too.
HIGHLIGHTS - Digital Love // Harder Better Faster Stronger // Face to Face

M83 - HURRY UP, WE'RE DREAMING (2011)
It's difficult to sum up this album in words. It's... It's like a soundtrack to the most moving, epic film ever, and then some. It jumps between synth-pop, stadium rock, and orchestral crescendos with ridiculous ease. The vocals are other-worldly, especially on the likes of 'Wait' and 'Outro'. Songs from this album have made me cry, and that just simply doesn't happen. This on headphones on a Sunday morning, or late at night - there is nothing more powerful, or emotive, or... I've run out of words to describe it.
HIGHLIGHTS - Midnight City // Wait // Outro

THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS - FURTHER (2010)
The most 'recent' release by the UK duo is their most resolved in my opinion. All of their albums have had certain lulls in my opinion, but this is near flawless. 'K+B+D' may be a bit of a nothingness, but apart from that every track has it's redeeming qualities. It balances different moods well, moving from sparse to intense to upbeat with ease. To be honest, this certainly isn't my favourite ever album. That said, it's the best these guys have ever made. Really, the Chemical Brothers seem to be more about the individual songs than the albums as a whole - this is the best attempt at making a cohesive 1-hour-long experience I've heard from them.
HIGHLIGHTS - Another World // Horse Power // Swoon

NERO - WELCOME REALITY (2011)
The debut album from the dubstep icons was an extremely strong release. From reviews that I've read, people's main issue seems to be that the album is simply a bit 'heavy' with no real let-up. But I think that's part of why I love it. There's definite contrast - they flirt with electro house in 'Fugue State,' go all-out with 'Crush On You,' and show off some of their more classic dubstep sounds with 'In The Way.' It's a strong album, with tracks flowing into each other smoothly and being comfortable both at a party or in the bedroom. An excellent contemporary mainstream dance album.
HIGHLIGHTS - Doomsday // Scorpions // Reaching Out

JUSTICE - CROSS (2007)
While I may listen to it rarely, as it's perhaps not my favourite album in this sense, the general sound and vibe of the album has a colossal effect on my tastes and style. Mental electronic music with a rock edge has definitely become something of a thing for me - this album lead me in turn to the likes of the Bloody Beetroots and SebastiAn. The album has its weak points, most notably Newjack (a song that really does irritate me a bit), but that doesn't stop it from being a greatly inspirational and unique (at least at the time) collection of work. And it has one of the best album openings. Ever.
HIGHLIGHTS - Genesis // D.A.N.C.E. // Stress