Clark: Turning Dragon (Warp CD/LP/digital)
Turning Dragon, indeed -- Chris Clark's newest outing for Warp is a real fire-breather. Clark's never been one to shy from more caustic sounds, but Turning Dragon is by far his most aggressive release to date. In fact, at first it sounds more like a club-stormer from LFO or Speedy J, full of distortion and a hard-hitting 4/4 kick. This is the most noticeable change in sound since his last go-round in 2006 with the near-perfect IDM album, Body Riddle, and its EP companions; Clark introduces more club-friendly beats with reckless abandon, but that doesn't mean it's any more accessible.
If anything, Turning Dragon is Clark's most difficult record to date, even as it flirts with more common club conventions and en vogue sample mash-ups. He's turned up the aggression a few notches, and as a result many of the songs have a pummeling nature to them -- a sharp step sideways from the whimsical pan flute melody found on Clarence Park or the sometimes lush swoon of Body Riddle. "New Year Storm" is just that, a complete banger of a track that slams the floor with a mangled kick and an alarm-like refrain. Clark's usual found-sound detritus is here as well, but amplified a great deal through distortion and effects, and if the four-to-the-floor lead-in to the album makes you nervous, fear not. Never content to stay in place for very long, Clark makes a break midway for a broken beat and a vaguely confusing combination of brash synths and piano, harnessing the harmony and melody that are so often his strong points. And that's just the first song!
Over the course of Turning Dragon, Clark treats us to rousing quasi-mash-up bangers like "Volcan Veins" and "Truncation Horn," tracks that would sound right at home on the Planet Mu label next to artists like Duran Duran Duran. It captures the cheeky humor of Clark's music that hitherto was never quite so raucous. But things get weirder as the album progress, such as the disorienting "Violenl" which spins you round til you're dizzy, the stuttering but relentless "Gaskarth/Cyrk Dedication," or the complete onslaught of "Beg" and its mega-distorted sound flares. These are balanced out by more melodic fare, although it's not as immediate as his past releases. "Ache of the North" begins more like another one of these weirdo bangers, developing into an acid workout before plunging into spacious, melodic melancholia. "Penultimate Persian," the last track, is probably the most obviously accessible, with a crisp, punchy electro break and a pronounced bassline, unusual synth sounds and melodic chord progressions.
In a way, despite all its techno leanings, Turning Dragon manages to assimilate all that's come before from Clark, including the sense of humor of his debut, the darker, grimier moments of his second album, and the lush composed beauty of his last outing, and rolls it all together with a common thread that favors movement over abstraction. It's by far his most visceral effort and helps remind everyone that Clark has more than a few new surprises up his sleeve still.
mp3s: Ache of the North | Penultimate Persian
more information: Warp Records | Myspace | Official site
buy it: Bleep | Bent Crayon | Forced Exposure | Boomkat | Amazon | iTunes