Mount KimbieLondon-based post-dubstep duo Mount Kimbie have returned with their highly anticipated follow-up to 2010's critically acclaimed Crooks And Lovers. Cold Spring Fault Less Youth continues to explore the textures and urban tones that fascinate them, but while their previous release on Paul Rose's Hotflush label was more interested in finding that sweet spot between dance floor and gallery noise installation, this new collection (now on Warp) is a far more lucid, warmer approach to lounge room bass music.
The textures are softer, and the glitches that carved up so much of Crooks… are gone. Most songs have a more traditional song structure, some boasting straightforward (live) drum tracks and instrumentation, and quite a few have some great vocal work (King Krule's guest spot on You Took Your Time is inspired).
James Blake proved that taking the paranoia out of traditional dubstep and replacing it with a little R&B was a commercial and artistic success, and Mount Kimbie are on the same page. They understand the sex appeal of a good bassline and they get the cerebral joy of exploring sophisticated layering and sequencing.
They never give too much away. Made To Stray is a pretty straightforward club track, but it's muted and cloudy, with only a few bright clicks and pops breaking the surface. It's a neat trick that keeps tugging at the strings and teases your feet.
The best way to describe Cold Spring… is that it sounds like a slow motion dream about a great party that you're happy to indulge in, despite knowing none of it is real and that you'll have to wake up eventually.
