Clark - Playground In A Lake

OT: the term ambient is a very diverse concept. In it's beginning Eric Satie called it "Furniture music" and he wanted it to be background music and not music you actually listen to. 

So: "ambient sucks balls" yeah if you really sit and listen to it, it can lead to that direction or put you to sleep in no time. 

  On 2/20/2021 at 2:03 AM, Lianne said:

I thought I’ve read posts of yours liking Autechre’s ambient side? But I may well be confused there.

i don't recall ever saying that but for my part i'll take the chre's ambient side over anything they released post-oversteps any day 

  On 2/20/2021 at 2:47 AM, cern said:

Clark:
 

“[...] I’ve taught myself how to read and write sheet music”

 

Lol 

too bad he didn't teach himself how to write good music

Lambent Rag was okay by the end.

Listened to the full thing, very underwhelming. There's really not a lot for me to latch on to here. Forgettable floaty orchestral soundtracky stuff. Let's hope he's got this out of his system now.

Gonna dive into this later today, saw that pitchfork gave it a 6.1

I thought this album was stunning. It's a meditative slow burn for sure, but the sound design is incredible. Subtle, yet super detailed. I also found it to have a pretty deep sadness, like floating through an abyss.

Really don't know what to think of the album yet. It still needs to land

I taught myself how to read and write; Sheeeet music!?

First half of this is predictably bad, as if he took all the worst elements of all his music and combined them into a single work. Second half shows some promise, a couple of tracks sound lush, but after the first half I had to just turn it off. Such a waste of potential, this guy. I'll try some of those later tracks another time I guess. 

  On 3/26/2021 at 8:50 AM, Silent Member said:

Let's hope he's got this out of his system now.

I've given up hope that he'll ever release another album that doesn't have children singing on it lol 

  On 1/26/2021 at 6:51 PM, jules said:

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Ahahahahahahaha

Listening to Death Peak for... I think the second time?  Can't believe it's been 4 years since I downloaded this.  The closing track Un U.K. is really excellent.  That's the only one that really pulled me in, but I'd probably get more out of it blasting through my car stereo rather than through headphones.  I got so much out of Body Riddle, Turning Dragon, and Totem's Flair - one of the finest runs in electronic music right there.  I think I only heard the self-titled album once... perhaps it is great.  Iradelphic was like his Bibio album iirc.  I've always liked choir samples, so I can't blame any indifference I've had on those.

  On 3/30/2021 at 9:08 AM, Zephyr_Nova said:

Listening to Death Peak for... I think the second time?  Can't believe it's been 4 years since I downloaded this.  The closing track Un U.K. is really excellent.  That's the only one that really pulled me in, but I'd probably get more out of it blasting through my car stereo rather than through headphones.  I got so much out of Body Riddle, Turning Dragon, and Totem's Flair - one of the finest runs in electronic music right there.  I think I only heard the self-titled album once... perhaps it is great.  Iradelphic was like his Bibio album iirc.  I've always liked choir samples, so I can't blame any indifference I've had on those.

I undersand that people dislike this one, I have to admit that even though I love Clark's music (even his scoring work) this hasn't really been doing anything for me. Death Peak got a lot of hate here as well but it wasn't deserved. Imo the self-titled album is as good as DP.

  On 3/30/2021 at 9:08 AM, Zephyr_Nova said:

Listening to Death Peak for... I think the second time?  Can't believe it's been 4 years since I downloaded this.  The closing track Un U.K. is really excellent.  That's the only one that really pulled me in, but I'd probably get more out of it blasting through my car stereo rather than through headphones.  I got so much out of Body Riddle, Turning Dragon, and Totem's Flair - one of the finest runs in electronic music right there.  I think I only heard the self-titled album once... perhaps it is great.  Iradelphic was like his Bibio album iirc.  I've always liked choir samples, so I can't blame any indifference I've had on those.

s/t is a strong album and I also loved the artwork.

Turning Dragon remains my "peak Clark" album - but that whole era is smashing.  I understand if he doesn't want to make banging electronic techno anymore - I completely appreciate that.  Getting into score work is cool if that is what he wants to do, but its just not for me.  I've tried but its not working for me.

I don't think he will return to the Clark of old - especially if this makes him money / makes him happy / opens new doors.  Good for him.

there's no way in hell i would waste a single minute of my life listening to this shit music. how do i know it's shit if i haven't listened to it you'll say? i know because i'm a druid and druids communicate with animals and gods, and they all agree that this album is a massive turd. i heard the gods even designed a special torture room for him in the afterlife, to punish him for being such a criminally bad composer. he's basically public enemy #1 in the afterworld

  On 1/21/2021 at 3:57 PM, jules said:

I think his more recent stuff is really great at first but then the albums just fizzle out for me, personally. I really enjoyed Death Peak and self-titled at first but I never go back to them at all. They just seem too clinical or something. Sort of lifeless. I'm not sure really what it is for me. I have such nostalgia from when Clarence Park was announced on Warp. The run from Clarence > Ceramics > ETBOY > Throttle Furniture > Body Riddle > Dragon > Totems is 10/10 stuff. Totems Flare is just perfect to me. Just amazing. He kept varying his sound and developing it along the way from when he first came up. Iradelphic is like a one-off, but after that, he has basically stayed in the same kind of 'clubby' area. Feast/Beast has some of my fav Clark stuff, however. I do hope this new album is a legitimate change in style and direction. Im not asking him to make ETBOY part 2, but all of those prior mentioned albums have a flair, swagger and general creativity to them that are missing for me on the stuff that came after. I realize that is over 10 years of material and maybe that doesn't interest him at all anymore. He obviously enjoys creating the soundtrack stuff but we shall see what he does on this one. I don't have high expectations, but I am also not being negative about it either.

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the new release is surprisingly good considering his mediocre output recently - a bit much on the mellow side for my current taste
 

I agree on the fizzle out thing - where does it come from? the old songs do not have this. 

  On 3/30/2021 at 11:37 AM, Soloman Tump said:

I understand if he doesn't want to make banging electronic techno anymore - I completely appreciate that.  Getting into score work is cool if that is what he wants to do, but its just not for me.  I've tried but its not working for me.

I don't think he will return to the Clark of old - especially if this makes him money / makes him happy / opens new doors.  Good for him.

my thoughts exactly. I have not cared for anything he's done after Clark - Clark, but if that's the way he's gonna roll (no pun intended), then so be it.

"Small" is burnt into my brain now. "Lambent Rag" is also in there. Need to burn the rest in.

I thought the self-titled album was decent to be honest. It still has some weak tracks on it and is not very cohesive, but in general it has held up better than Iradelphic or Death Peak... I cut Iradelphic down to just a few tracks that are really good and toss the rest, and Death Peak hasn't caught on at all.

Come to think of it, I find that in the last decade or whatever, Clark works best in EP format. Flame Rave is all killer no filler, and I really enjoyed the bonus "Iradelphic Sessions" immensely, more than the album itself. All his earlier Throttle series EPs, and the Ted EP, were mostly really tight as well.  

Or maybe I'm just trying to emphasize that I don't hate Clark lol just feel he's gone off on a track I don't want to follow him down

Tried to listen to this but gave up halfway through from boredom. It felt more like one his scores than a Clark album. Too much straightforward chamber orchestra type stuff for my liking. 

https://www.juno.co.uk/junodaily/2021/03/31/clark-interview-i-wanted-this-album-to-be-a-gateway-drug-to-classical-music/

Interview