Floating Points - Cascade [LP]

New album by Mr. Shepherd releasing September 13th.

Pre-order: 

https://floatingpoints.bandcamp.com/album/cascade

Singles:

Cascade:

01 Vocoder (Club Mix)

02 Key103

03 Birth4000

04 Del Oro

05 Fast Forward

06 Ocotillo

07 Afflecks Palace

08 Tilt Shift

09 Ablaze

Track 3 sounds similar to the bassline from “I Feel Love”

The colored vinyl looks sick

He's very good although, the more dance-friendly direction is not for me. I imagine watmm-ers are also more likely to need an idm soundtrack for cruising the web or working with javascript... i can't dance bro.

He's hit and miss for me. But can be ace. I haven't heard these singles so happy to play them tomorrow. 

  On 7/9/2024 at 3:41 PM, Rubin Farr said:

Track 3 sounds similar to the bassline from “I Feel Love”

I think everyone has to do a spin on the Moroder-Go-Round? It's nearly lawful at this point. 

All the singles are awesome. I am not a fan of the release schedule though. I don't like it when artists release singles that'll be on the album months or even years before the album releases. Four tet did it as well with Three Drums. Birth4000, although awesome, released last year, why put it on the album then? Same goes for Vocoder. i hope the club mix sounds way different than the original but if not than that would mean that we've heard 4 of the 9 tracks before. I don't like that.

Anyway, all bangers

I learned my lesson with this on Bandcamp. I used to get excited to snap up the one-off tracks of my favorite artists until I realized that it's nearly always a runup to an album. I respect the hustle of getting the most money you can off of your work but I just wait and don't even listen until, lo, the album is here 

An exception to this is Machinedrum and the slew of remixes and singles he released around "Human Energy". When combined, they make an awesome companion album.   

ninja tune release strategy is terrible

  On 8/22/2024 at 3:17 PM, species8472 said:

ninja tune release strategy is terrible

Ikr. Just announce the album 1.5 mo before release max and put out 2 singles. We've got half the album before it comes out now. I don't like it. The singles ARE nice though 

Yeah, the release strategy is a bummer but I think it's becoming more and more common, since we have the attention span of flies today, and an album is likely forgotten a week after it's release. It really does kill that first listen though, when you've already had half of the album on repeat...

Damn, I love this. I'm a big fan and the more dance friendly vibe is a cool tangent to explore.

Just playing all these tracks for the first time. Key103 is damn good!

Looks like it leaked. How does a 24 bit FLAC leak in 2024? And anyone wanna drop me a PM with a link? I pre-ordered it, but this is FOMO I guess.

This album is really awesome. Probably his most consistently good release to date. Vocoder is a straight four to the floor banger (although most of the tracks are), it's really infectious and catchy, I don't know if this is the same track that was on the 2022 EP but I rarely listened to that so it was new for me.

Key103 and Birth4000 are kind of similar but the former has a very nice progression while the latter sounds crunchy in a satisfying way.

Del Oro is melody wise one of my favorites on here prob. Love the way he uses the negative space after the build up's when he's just playing the beat and nothing else. It's infectious.

Fast Forwards layering is mesmerising imo. Truly one of the best tracks on here. Every time I listen to this track I hear a new sound. Melody wise it's also one of the best.

I like Ocotillo too, especially the last two and a half minutes, the skittering beats coming in after the 6 minute fluttering is cool. I do think the first part of the track could have been a little shorter.

Afflecks Palace is this crazy breakbeat/ techno track that ends with an awesome acoustic drum break. 

Tilt Shift is more Dnb from Shepherd?? I like that it's something new but it still sounds like him.

Ablaze is a very nice, tranquil way to end the album, letting the ambience drift out slowely.

This might be my favorite album of his yet!

agreed. this is a very legit album. 

I allowed myself one track tease today and it was "Ocotillo". I was sure that it would be a stock standard space odyssey a la 0pn Rifts until that gabba switch-up at the end. Hell yeah brother.  Tomorrow is gonna be a good day-- reminds me of Fall '19 when "Crush" was so dope. It still is but it used to be too. 

He got stormed out at Movement this year  

Big disappointment for me because I bet this shit would have rocked on a rig. 

I don't normally go for stuff this clubby but there are some nice tracks on here.

AOTY contender

Nice day for a bike ride, gonna get the train to Richmond and cycle round the park. Listening to this as I go. For what it's worth this got a very good review on Pitchfork. 

Wow. This is damn good. Second half seems chock-a-block with wizardry. 

AOTY contender - agreed. 
 

Also love how it totally unfurls in the second half after the more straightforward first.

  On 9/12/2024 at 10:43 PM, xxx said:

He got stormed out at Movement this year  

Big disappointment for me because I bet this shit would have rocked on a rig. 

Saw him go B2B with Caribou in May and he played some of them. Definitely sick on a rig. Would love to see him do a full live set instead of a DJ set someday though.

This is really great! The last four tracks in particular are outstanding. Will be in my end of year list for sure.