I’m trying to think of an appropriate metaphor to describe Chris Clark’s rather unique brand of electronic music… it’s the equivalent of an original Leonardo da Vinci piece covered in dirt. It’s the most pristine bar of soap you can imagine, subsequent to its escape from the layered nether regions of numerous overweight homeless people. To be more straightforward about it: Clark’s music is gritty, but not in a way that’s indicative of an unintentional sacrifice in production value. On the contrary, his previous three albums have been hallmarks of consistency in this regard; the rhythmic roughness persists, but so does his obvious attention to detail. It’s all a part of a conscious attempt to carve out his own sound — in other words, it’s a part of the plan.
Was it a part of the plan for Clark to wait three years after Totems Flare to release his next album? Fans like myself would be inclined to let out a tearful “NO!” alongside exaggerated hand gestures, but a press release suggests otherwise: “Chris Clark has been on a journey. The adventure started three years ago after the release of previous album Totems Flare. He recorded Iradelphic in Australia, Berlin, Wales, Brussels, Cornwall, Norway, and London using a diverse range of tools ranging from the vintage to the cutting edge modern.” Whether this is code for “Clark has had the fortunate ability to vacation for the past three years and spent part of that time intermittently working on a new album” is beside the point; Iradelphic is due out April 3, and judging by the promotional release of the track “Com Touch,” it’s been worth the wait.
Iradelphic tracklisting:
01. Henderson Wrench
02. Com Touch
03. Tooth Moves
04. Skyward Bruise/Descent
05. Open
06. Secret
07. Ghosted
08. Black Stone
09. The Pining pt1
10. The Pining pt2
11. The Pining pt3
12. Broken Kite Footage
• Clark: http://www.facebook.com/throttleclark
• Warp: http://warp.net
