Clark - "Iradelphic"

I really don't care for ghosted either... wouldn't miss that track at all if it disappeared forever. Also Broken Kite Footage... seems like a waste of 5 mins. That and it reminds me of a way less-interesting version of Betty. I'm guessing the album seems so short to me is because I consider it over at the end of Pining pt.3

I love Clark but this album isn't good at all. He's been hanging out with Bibio a lot that obvious.

I want to like this album, and in principle I actually quite like the guitar sounds and welcome a change in direction, but the structures of the tracks themselves and the structure of the album as a whole (and the track ordering) makes it feel like nothing ever quite lands - and that there's nothing to get your teeth into. On a musical and structural level, it neither challenges nor satisfies; it sort of makes you go "huh? Is that it?" This is probably the most disappointing release from the WATMM featured artists I have ever heard. On a positive note, the production and mixing sounds truly great, even if the music doesn't inspire.

I don't like Clark. But i love this new album and i admire artists that have the balls to just try something new and cross the borders they create for themselves. That's where the fun is, to create something new, always.

Just imagine RDJ constantly making and releasing SAW 85-92 tracks since the 90's until now, how boring would that be!

am i really the only one who thinks Black Stone is really sloppy and childish piano play? the way it progresses from one chord to another makes me shiver..

someone in a magazine compared it to AFX' Avril 14th track, wtf? Black Stone has zero emotion. most disappointing Clark track to date.

the video is nice though.

Black Stone really reminds me of Swod - Tucholskystr.34

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8rr1pcyDlQ

  On 4/5/2012 at 2:05 PM, vincentvc said:

am i really the only one who thinks Black Stone is really sloppy and childish piano play? the way it progresses from one chord to another makes me shiver..

someone in a magazine compared it to AFX' Avril 14th track, wtf? Black Stone has zero emotion. most disappointing Clark track to date.

 

the video is nice though.

Yes. I'm all for naive, haunting, simple piano music, but tracks like this aren't it - IMO. I don't enjoy it when electronic composers let themselves be so exposed when their playing/improvisational/compositional skills aren't built for it. 'Black Stone' sounds like amateurish piano stuff to me, but if people can enjoy it, then all the power to them! Avril 14th it ain't, though!

I wish musical development and structure were dealt with more thoroughly and imaginatively theses days in general, actually. Whether it's the micro changes of a minimal techno track over time, or the more involved and drastic developments in, I dunno - a rock opera - structure and development are so key to great music. They seem to be the most overlooked elements in new electronic music, however, as much as production is getting better and everything is getting louder. Autechre have always done structure in a deeply imaginative, challenging and satisfying way - but it's always been Clark's 'weak spot', IMHO, and this album reveals that most strongly, since there is less madness to hide behind.

  On 4/5/2012 at 2:35 PM, Lianne said:

  On 4/5/2012 at 2:05 PM, vincentvc said:

am i really the only one who thinks Black Stone is really sloppy and childish piano play? the way it progresses from one chord to another makes me shiver..

someone in a magazine compared it to AFX' Avril 14th track, wtf? Black Stone has zero emotion. most disappointing Clark track to date.

 

the video is nice though.

 

Yes. I'm all for naive, haunting, simple piano music, but tracks like this aren't it - IMO. I don't enjoy it when electronic composers let themselves be so exposed when their playing/improvisational/compositional skills aren't built for it. 'Black Stone' sounds like amateurish piano stuff to me, but if people can enjoy it, then all the power to them! Avril 14th it ain't, though!

 

I wish musical development and structure were dealt with more thoroughly and imaginatively theses days in general, actually. Whether it's the micro changes of a minimal techno track over time, or the more involved and drastic developments in, I dunno - a rock opera - structure and development are so key to great music. They seem to be the most overlooked elements in new electronic music, however, as much as production is getting better and everything is getting louder. Autechre have always done structure in a deeply imaginative, challenging and satisfying way - but it's always been Clark's 'weak spot', IMHO, and this album reveals that most strongly, since there is less madness to hide behind.

This.

I'd much prefer to hear him strip things down to 4 or 5 elements per track and see where he can take them without feeling the need to convolute things with premature transitions and non-committal passages. In pretty much every song on "Iradelphic" i hear sounds and short phrases which i think are quite grabbing, but he seems to just let them pass by unfulfilled. For example, the tones and textures on this track aren't that far away at all from Clark's palette, but they're spent much more wisely and make for a much more immersive listen>

By immersive you mean boring? Because there's like nothing happening at all compared to Clark.

Way to be trigger happy. Each to his own, i don't consider it boring. Admittedly, the track above is one i'd consider to be a grower, either way i'll take it over 90% of Clark's tracks because it doesn't try to utilise everything but the kitchen sink.

sounds/phrases which are grabbing in their succintness may not be so grabbing if laboured/expanded upon. and although i quite like the track you posted it's really nothing like anything clark has ever done in any way. maybe you just don't like clark's music?

Oh for sure, it's totally different to Clark's music. The palettes they are drawing from aren't dissimilar though, i think it's interesting to compare them as two different approaches to composition. Clark has quite a number of tracks i adore. Diesel Raven, Ted, Dusk Swells, Indigo Optimus, Herzog.....

Personally though, I think it's a bit of a case of quantity-over-quality, and the fact that this is his 6th album makes me realise he's never going to click with me in the same way that 1st generation Warp did.

  On 4/5/2012 at 1:23 PM, usagi said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J81reO5htsM

This is (edit: should be) like the music outside when he's walking in the snowed woods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmafNVimRbI

It pains me to say it, but I just can't get over how average this album is. I've played it about 5 times since release, and I don't like it any more than I did on the first spin. As others have said, the production is great and there are some nice moments, but there's nothing really to sink my teeth into. I'll probably let it sit for a while and come back to it in a few months, maybe less. Nothing's really grabbing me and I've been playing it often in hopes of it growing, but it really isn't. Had this been released by any other artist would I have listened to it 5 times already? I'm not so sure. What does keep me coming back is the fact that it's recognizably Clark but there's not enough there. I'm not saying it needs to be banging either.

Now I'm going to listen to Body Riddle again to see about any similarities.

I went into this expecting to hear some Boddy Riddle type stuff, not a bad album overall though.

  On 4/9/2012 at 6:29 PM, sidewinder said:

It pains me to say it, but I just can't get over how average this album is. I've played it about 5 times since release, and I don't like it any more than I did on the first spin. As others have said, the production is great and there are some nice moments, but there's nothing really to sink my teeth into. I'll probably let it sit for a while and come back to it in a few months, maybe less. Nothing's really grabbing me and I've been playing it often in hopes of it growing, but it really isn't. Had this been released by any other artist would I have listened to it 5 times already? I'm not so sure. What does keep me coming back is the fact that it's recognizably Clark but there's not enough there. I'm not saying it needs to be banging either.

 

Now I'm going to listen to Body Riddle again to see about any similarities.

yea this really seems to be the case with this album. the pining should be much more epic than it is and it needs one more banger or more of a beat driven track. there really is much of a narrative to this lbum. it just kinds of wanders by but entirely too fast because there really isn't much to it. i completely agree, if this wasn't clark, id have written it off long ago.

  On 4/9/2012 at 9:57 PM, jules said:

  On 4/9/2012 at 6:29 PM, sidewinder said:

It pains me to say it, but I just can't get over how average this album is. I've played it about 5 times since release, and I don't like it any more than I did on the first spin. As others have said, the production is great and there are some nice moments, but there's nothing really to sink my teeth into. I'll probably let it sit for a while and come back to it in a few months, maybe less. Nothing's really grabbing me and I've been playing it often in hopes of it growing, but it really isn't. Had this been released by any other artist would I have listened to it 5 times already? I'm not so sure. What does keep me coming back is the fact that it's recognizably Clark but there's not enough there. I'm not saying it needs to be banging either.

 

Now I'm going to listen to Body Riddle again to see about any similarities.

 

yea this really seems to be the case with this album. the pining should be much more epic than it is and it needs one more banger or more of a beat driven track. there really is much of a narrative to this lbum. it just kinds of wanders by but entirely too fast because there really isn't much to it. i completely agree, if this wasn't clark, id have written it off long ago.

To me it seems to be more the type of album you can throw on in the background, or that you might hear at a coffee shop or clothes store or something. I still enjoy the album but every time I listen to it it has a little less impact than the last time.

Body riddle was my favorite work of his though and this is quite the juxtaposition to that =/. Hopefully it is just a one-off thing, and he goes back to his previous style. (Or maybe take the strong elements of both of these styles and mix em?)

Think I've listened to it on 10 separate occasions without interruption and it's just got weaker for me. I can't comment on production as I don't understand it but I can say I prefer ETBOY and Body Riddle. This just feels so light on content, obviously intentionally subdued but as previously said, nothing to sink your teeth into. The best I can say about it thus far is that it's pleasant? Lame.

Good thing this guy has a decent discography so I can revisit albums from him because I'm not fully satisfied with this one.

Yeah so what's up. Where are the Clark fans! Jules, Deepex, you;ve been awfully quiet. CLARK JUST RELEASED A NEW ALBUM!! Does the maxim "don't have anything nice to say so don't say it all" apply here? looks like it.

  On 4/14/2012 at 4:55 PM, dr lopez said:

Yeah so what's up. Where are the Clark fans! Jules, Deepex, you;ve been awfully quiet. CLARK JUST RELEASED A NEW ALBUM!! Does the maxim "don't have anything nice to say so don't say it all" apply here? looks like it.

jules has posted here a few times already lol. probably deepex too.

this is nowhere near the discussion we had of the last two clark albums.

http://soundcloud.com/edifice/clark-secret-its-a-secret-edit

In case anyone cares, looped out and slightly modified a section of Secret. Fat Clark for da freestylin..

Btw I think this is a very mature album. Clark put his musical cock away and just made some solid, extremely well taken care of tunes. Sure it doesnt bang like some of his releases but do you really need more of the same? Put his whole discog on shuffle and you will see this is an essential representation of some of Clarks personality. Im quite glad he has stepped away from the slammin. It was starting to get old after turning dragon and all the eps. Then Totems flare which is nothing but alright to me compared to his ability. I felt the same thing happened with ISAM. People wanted something from these guys they just werent gonna give.

I love this album, bout to listen to it for the eleventh time while running a few miles. Secret, Tooth Moves, Pinning Part 1 are amazing, I gotta say for the last time. Like someone said, for those that don't like Iradelphic, he has a big catalog of the hard hitting heavily electronically produced stuff, buy one of those older albums and stop listening to them on grooveshark like I do.

I'm not complaining about it not being hard hitting, i'm just curious to wonder why there hasn't been that much discussion post release. it's a fine album. not soooo hot on the vocals but thats ok, i just hate 99% of female vocalists, and yes I know this is a bad thing about myself