Subgenres of electronic music that don’t fall within the category of EDM frequently get tagged as “escapist” or enabling of one’s mental departure, but maybe it’s time that we deconstruct our inclinations and appreciate just how directly interactive ambient or kosmische music, for example (and in their many variations), can be. Musical space and a degree of minimalism tend to create depth, and for that reason, you might find it worthwhile following, say, a Brian Eno album from note to note rather than allowing On Land to whisk you away into the unpopulated clouds of serious introspection. Let’s consider being fully engaged with these genres otherwise thought to inspire the opposite!
And so Physicalist, Forma’s newest album (and their first for Kranky), dares you to do just that, as trio co-founder Mark Dwinell recently remarked on his group’s foundational desire to “connect with people through a vigilantly monitored present.” Certainly their prior albums on Spectrum Spools compelled examination via kosmische intricacy, and their Cool Haptics EP from 2014 was a clear and shocking directive to get your ass on the dance floor.
Physicalist is the first Forma album to feature John Also Bennett as a member (between Dwinell and percussionist George Bennett) and the first to contain acoustic instrumentation. The 2xLP is out September 23, and here’s the very last track:
Physicalist tracklisting:
01. Collapse of Materialists
02. Sane Man
03. Spin Glass
04. Ghosts
05. Maxwell’s Demon
06. Descent
07. Wanderer Imitates a Cloud
08. As If Pianos Grew on Trees
09. Collapse of Materialists 2
10. Physicalist
11. Improvisation for Flute and Piano