Clark - Death Peak

  On 4/7/2017 at 4:44 PM, fumi said:

It's made for a different audience. The casual dance music fan.

this is the dumbest statement in this thread, which is quite a feat

I like this quite a bit more than I expected but agree it's pretty middle of the road. That said I at least enjoyed most of the tracks except for Catastrophe Anthem (those kids singing, ugh) and the last track. I don't think it's as bad as everyone says, not blowing me away though.

  On 4/7/2017 at 4:44 PM, fumi said:

If you look at say an artist like Clark, his earlier work now bares little resemblance to what he makes now. If you liked his stuff back then, you probably won't like it now. It's made for a different audience. The casual dance music fan. I don't think he's aiming his stuff at people who inhabit this forum. That's a minority crowd.

 

The Coldplay of IDM.

I saw him back in 2014 when he was doing the Superscope thing live and it was a really good set.

Saying his new material bares little resemblance to his early stuff isn't exactly fair since all of the sound design elements are there. It's just a different beat he's using now.

no need to be sorry if you like it , then its good for you enjoy it man :)

  On 4/7/2017 at 8:36 PM, Blank said:

I honestly don't care if I come off as tasteless by saying this - I adore every single part of this record, I think his new sound is stronger than ever compared to his uncertain dabbling on his self-titled and I think it's easily one of his best recent works, could be one of my fav albums next to Body Riddle and Totems Flare honestly... I think in a way he's not focusing so much on taking loads of different unpredictable roads with his gritty texture he made for bangers like with his previous work, but more on the emotionally-focused content perhaps? It's a very personal, poignantly driven album I think and I completely understand if it's the sort of thing that people just want to move away from or maybe even find pretentious but on a personal level, for some reason this album really, really gets to me and idk why. I love it. Love it love it love it. And Hoova is still one of the strongest tracks on the album in my opinion, that one wrecks me (the end of Un U.K. and Catastrophe Anthem also made me a lil teary eyed, beautiful)

 

Happy to see he goes down the techno route though in parts of album (obviously with a different sound but I still think they sound incredibly bold compared to some of the stuff on the previous album) - Slap Drones is so lush, and Peak Magnetic still hits me frickin hard as ever, the voice that spirals up at about 2:19 still gives me chills...

 

Sorry to break the circlejerk my duders, just how I feel I guess!

 

edit: also gotta say he's definitely returned to a much more cinematic sound that I really appreciate, it's like the Last Panthers soundtrack but really fleshed out and beefed up imo... idk I'm a real sucker for that sort of approach too

So well said. I'm surprised this album is getting so much hate, so early - on first impressions. I think it is solid start to finish. To each their own I guess.

  On 4/8/2017 at 12:52 AM, Extralife said:

 

  On 4/7/2017 at 8:36 PM, Blank said:

I honestly don't care if I come off as tasteless by saying this - I adore every single part of this record, I think his new sound is stronger than ever compared to his uncertain dabbling on his self-titled and I think it's easily one of his best recent works, could be one of my fav albums next to Body Riddle and Totems Flare honestly... I think in a way he's not focusing so much on taking loads of different unpredictable roads with his gritty texture he made for bangers like with his previous work, but more on the emotionally-focused content perhaps? It's a very personal, poignantly driven album I think and I completely understand if it's the sort of thing that people just want to move away from or maybe even find pretentious but on a personal level, for some reason this album really, really gets to me and idk why. I love it. Love it love it love it. And Hoova is still one of the strongest tracks on the album in my opinion, that one wrecks me (the end of Un U.K. and Catastrophe Anthem also made me a lil teary eyed, beautiful)

 

Happy to see he goes down the techno route though in parts of album (obviously with a different sound but I still think they sound incredibly bold compared to some of the stuff on the previous album) - Slap Drones is so lush, and Peak Magnetic still hits me frickin hard as ever, the voice that spirals up at about 2:19 still gives me chills...

 

Sorry to break the circlejerk my duders, just how I feel I guess!

 

edit: also gotta say he's definitely returned to a much more cinematic sound that I really appreciate, it's like the Last Panthers soundtrack but really fleshed out and beefed up imo... idk I'm a real sucker for that sort of approach too

So well said. I'm surprised this album is getting so much hate, so early - on first impressions. I think it is solid start to finish. To each their own I guess.

 

I don't dislike it but equally I can't say I love either. That's a feeling I get with so many artists now, even the big guns.

It's all sort of Good Enough ™.

On first listen the only time I felt anything was on the second half of Un U.K. 

  On 4/7/2017 at 4:21 PM, Kavinsky said:

cant believe this guy made one of my fav. electronic records and now converted into a mainstream berghain artist. 

sorry, but this is just stupid. ever listened to the ostgut stuff?

still think this fits amazing in a row: td - s/t - dp.

give this some time before ripping it apart!

  On 4/8/2017 at 10:24 AM, tokn said:

 

  On 4/7/2017 at 4:21 PM, Kavinsky said:

cant believe this guy made one of my fav. electronic records and now converted into a mainstream berghain artist. 

 

sorry, but this is just stupid. ever listened to the ostgut stuff?

 

still think this fits amazing in a row: td - s/t - dp.

 

give this some time before ripping it apart!

 

yeah maybe its wrong but i couldn't find another term for it , i love the ostgut stuff btw.  

Listening now.  What this album reminds me of is ESKMO - ESKMO.  Kind of atmospheric slam music.  It's about power.  Power in sound and power in the beat.

Thing I love about Clark is no matter how Dance or Techno he gets-- he always includes those organic sounds.  The reverbs, the synths, the feelings.  It's never just generic metallic sounding IDM / Electronic.  I would take him over Autechre or Plaid any day for this reason.  

Second listen through and for me it's up there with his best stuff, don't understand the 'casual dance music' comments at all.

It's not slamming ultra-compressed turning dragon stuff, but I'd rather have something like this than just rehashing the same sound 10 years on.

  On 4/8/2017 at 4:45 PM, danshoebridge said:

Second listen through and for me it's up there with his best stuff, don't understand the 'casual dance music' comments at all.

 

It's not slamming ultra-compressed turning dragon stuff, but I'd rather have something like this than just rehashing the same sound 10 years on.

When I say casual dance music, I mean that his output these last few years is geared (like many other big IDM names) towards a larger audience. This often means sacrificing the sound or style that made them originally popular with a smaller, niche crowd.

I don't know that he sacrificed anything here. He has been gearing toward more atmospheric stuff the past few years and has meshed that side of his work with the more abrasive side of his work.

lmao @ the casual dance music/EDM crowd comments

you guys are crazy, this album is fantastic! hoova is a beast. i can understand the timid comments, but i think it's stealthy. two wheelchairs up.

Are you kidding me, this album is AMAZING! Hooooly shit, probably my favourite Clark up until now! Was somewhat let down by some of his recent work but this just knocks it out of the park. I am super excited, on my third listen now.

every ep of him was better then this edm crap 

i'm not sure what makes something "edm" but i couldn't care less about genre labels either. shame that would ruin your enjoyment of different types of music. i find this far more interesting than the last one tbqh. it's less straight forward and far more dynamic.

How is this EDM?

This album slays. Super glad I ordered it on vinyl. 

Clark did not disappoint. 

  On 4/8/2017 at 10:12 PM, Extralife said:

How is this EDM?

(:

great alboom

i will say, i think the album title, art and music are very disconnected though.

but i do love it.

I found that creating a random playlist of this mixed with the new Nathan Fake works well. Gives the Clark tracks more oomph.

Went to the shop and bought it yesterday, only one they had in stock, what are the odds. The only real complaint i have is this packaging wtf i really liked that stark typeface on the left side

But besides that, i quite like it. Sounds like he focuses more on texture and atmosphere than impact and dynamics. Weakest point is maybe Aftermath. Does any of this release sound like any other Clark? Not exactly (except for some synths he uses that remind me of the sounds on the s/t) but that's not exactly a requirement. He's growing, etc. He still paints with this colorful rave palette

As much as i hate comparing artists to other artists, i am reminded a lot of Burial (i think someone said that already in this thread), especially with moments like Hoova and Un U.K. It's almost like cross-sections of a coherent ep just harshly stitched together into one "song", which is what i love about Burial's Truant/Rough Sleeper release. I can see the parallels too, what with all the UK hardcore influences

I can easily understand why other Clark fans wouldn't care for this release, and i can't even blame them, but it sits well with me. I will say however that it feels a lot less like an album and more like an ep, what with the non-percussive ambient interludes, which could almost feel like a letdown if the nine tracks weren't so good altogether