Tag Archives: reviews

Switched On – Max Cooper: Feeling Is Structure (Mesh)

Posted on by
Reply

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The music of Max Cooper continues to fire the imagination. His latest album is borne of a commission from the Royal Albert Hall for a live show, and he chose to explore “the relationship between physical form and human emotion.”

The press release nails his ability to fuse deep thinking and raw emotion. “Across 10 spatial audio-visual works, Cooper examines how structure in sound, architecture, biology and art, shapes the way we feel. Musically, Feeling Is Structure leans into Cooper’s more intricate and deliberate compositional side. Rather than improvisation, the record focuses on carefully designed systems and processes that build evolving sonic architectures. Precise at the micro level, but deeply emotive in impact.”

What’s the music like?

Very satisfying, especially on headphones. There is always a lot going on in Max Cooper’s music, with a great level of detail revealing itself with repeated listening. That said, the first few encounters are satisfying too, as there is a lot of feeling behind these beats.

The bleeps and loping beats of Pattern Index set the scene, a dubby rhythm bringing an unexpected similarity with early music from The Orb. Gradually the sonic canvas pans out, with the spacious Becoming supporting what feels like the workings of a large machine.

Cooper uses complex rhythms to often thrilling effect, with This Is A Bridge ratcheting up the tension and releasing a good deal of kinetic energy, while the beats get super busy on Obsessive Compulsive Order. Meanwhile the busy Bass Mosaic reaches all corners of the audio system. Four Tones Reflected and Ebb And Flow are rich sonic tapestries, while the beats retreat for the spectacular spectrum of Chrysalis to fully reveal itself.

Does it all work?

It does. A great deal of thinking has gone into the structure of this album – hence the title – and the quasi-orchestral textures are full of incident and colour.

Is it recommended?

It is. Feeling Is Structure is a deeply effective and thoroughly modern fusion of process and emotion. Max Cooper plays to his strength with music that emphatically ticks the intellectual and emotional boxes. Arguably his most successful album to date.

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,888 – Friday 15 May 2026

On Record – Ana Roxanne: Poem 1 (Kranky)

Posted on by
Reply

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Ana Roxanne returns with an album on which she wants her voice to be clearly heard. To that end she has removed the tape noise, looping and layering that has dressed the vocal in the past, so that Poem 1 employs a raw presentation of her, ‘heartbroken and reflective’.

The piano assumes greater importance, with Roxanne noticeably shifting towards classical music, both in titles (Berceuse in A-flat minor, Op. 45) and in her use of source material, with One Shall Sleep taking its lead (or should that be lied?) from a Robert Schumann song.

What’s the music like?

In a word, intense. Roxanne’s voice is an extraordinary instrument, and leaving it in a raw state was the right way to go for maximum emotional impact on these songs.

The music is slow, which only heightens the strength of feeling, the concentrated impact akin to that of a David Lynch movie. For Roxanne could easily have been the centrepiece of Twin Peaks on this evidence, the likes of Untitled II reaching almost uncomfortable strength of emotion as she somehow controls the vocals. Berceuse in A-flat minor, Op. 45 is one of the standout pieces, just Roxanne and her listener in the room, while the Schumann-inspired One Shall Sleep is preoccupied with feelings of loss and grief.

The close-up recording means the intake of breath can be clearly heard on Cover Me, while Wishful (draft) finds deeper hues in the production.

Does it all work?

It does, though given the strength of emotion it helps for the listener to be in the right mood to appreciate Ana Roxanne’s power as a vocalist.

Is it recommended?

Yes. A powerful song cycle for modern times, headed by an extraordinary voice.

For fans of… Julee Cruise, Cocteau Twins, Keeley Forsyth

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,881 – Friday 8 May 2026

On Record – Eric Hilton: A Sky So Close (Montserrat House)

Posted on by
Reply

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Released earlier this year, A Sky So Close is the latest solo album from Thievery Corporation co-founder Eric Hilton.

“This record is an atmosphere, a state of mind. I indulge myself by making music that I want to listen to,” he says. “It’s a more solitary record than some of my other work, there is not a big list of guest performers on this one. It’s really like my stream of consciousness.”

What’s the music like?

This slow-paced, lounging music is the sort of thing Hilton can do in his sleep, but few can match the richness and sense of atmosphere that he achieves. Beats are slow, based on hip hop, but the music above has no restrictions in terms of colour or region, which makes it all the more intoxicating.

Hilton has a lovely sense of pace in his music, not to mention the colours the listener experiences in each. Akasha is languid and rather exotic, Breathe Me In is set in a sensual heat haze, while The Endless Raga is a beauty. There is an elegance to his writing that comes across in the title track, as the press release promised, and throughout he creates vivid pictures in the listener’s eye.

Ghatam goes deep, with some lovely sonorities, while the Natalia Clavier guest slot on Lalita is a rather special one.

Does it all work?

It does, largely. The only qualm – a very slight one from this listener – is that Hilton uses the same pitch (‘D’) for the root in a lot of his work. It would be lovely to hear him branch out from this a bit more.

Is it recommended?

It is indeed. Eric Hilton makes sultry summer music – and the hotter the temperature the more you’ll enjoy this rather seductive album.

For fans of… Thievery Corporation, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Nightmares On Wax, Quantic

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,879 – Wednesday 6 May 2026

Switched On – BUNKR: Signals (VLSI)

Posted on by
Reply

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The roots of Signals can be found in the Surrey Hills. There, James Dean witnessed a phosphorescent sphere in the sky above Pitch Hill, close to the Mullard Space Science Laboratory; a phenomenon seen by friends and reported in the local press.

The memory has stayed with Dean since, and now he uses his BUNKR alias to tell the story of the hills and their significance in his life, whether this mysterious event, childhood bicycle adventures or post-midnight raves.

What’s the music like?

Typically engaging, but this time around BUNKR’s music has more subtle yet far-reaching emotional depth. The Light We Saw paints an evocative picture of that night, but is only the beginning of the story, continued by the spacious 96 Refraction, where dreamy synth loops encounter distant breakbeats on the horizon, their initial ambience cleverly pivoted for them to take control of the track.

Quarry Transcendence is a hive of rhythmic activity, over and above the held chords, while the reflective These Hills goes into deeper, more thoughtful territory. Eyes Like Mirrors plays out without beats, a thick cloud of ambience that sparkles at the edges – the ‘sci-fi daydream’ that Dean hints at in his album commentary. This Side Of Forever wraps up the vision beautifully, a coda of analogue drums and bright synth lines glinting at the edges.

Does it all work?

It does, and thanks to clever sequencing the album has a really satisfying ebb and flow the whole way through.

Is it recommended?

Yes, with enthusiasm. BUNKR is becoming a real force to be reckoned with in electronic music, and this descriptive album is another valuable string to his bow.

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,877 – Monday 4 May 2026

Switched On – Juha Mäki-Patola: Momentary Movements of Landscapes (130701)

Posted on by
Reply

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Juha Mäki-Patola’s third solo album is his first release for FatCat Records’ post-classical imprint 130701.

It consists of twelve carefully composed and intricately layered pieces, “built around upright piano and Prophet 10 loops processed through tape echo and reverb”. The linked pieces were recorded during the dark winter of 2024–2025, where Mäki-Patola sought light and solace through memory and imagination. The pieces look to blend memories with the present for times of healing.

The album was recorded live in Juha’s Helsinki studio, using tape-based processing techniques, and with guests including his daughter Frida, Jessica Hébert, Tapani Rinne and Julia Gjertsen – with the addition of vocals, violin and bass clarinet.

What’s the music like?

Deeply calming. Rather than suggest a dark winter, this is music that captures the rarefied light Helsinki often experiences. The twelve movements have a simple musical language, but that is their strength – musical gestures that are easy to listen to, but which set an atmosphere all of their own.

Often the music hangs in the air like a suspended cloud, free of hassle but progressing onwards in a fluid and attractive way. Many of the moments are free of obvious melody, free to wallow in the bright textures that Mäki-Patola has formed. Moment 2 is one of those, while Moment 3 steps back for thoughtful introspection before introducing a lovely, thick duvet of sound to dive into.

Moment 6 is led by softly voiced keyboards with mottled textures around, before Moment 7 drops the frequency effectively for a slow, mellow stream of consciousness. Yet this turns out to be a prelude to the blissful Moment 8, where languid guitar hovers over a reassuringly dense drone. Moment 10 is similarly calming with its lazy loops, while Moment 12 ends with waves of calm.

Does it all work?

It works, through being a natural evolution of musical thinking. Mäki-Patola doesn’t try too hard at any point, being comfortable to let the music forge its own path – which it does effortlessly.

Is it recommended?

Momentary Movements of Landscapes is a deeply restful time out for the listener, at the same time offering pinpricks of light in the darkness. It is a cleansing experience, slowing the heartbeat and softening the soul.

For fans of… William Basinski, Tim Hecker, Stars Of The Lid, Machinefabriek

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,874 – Friday 1 May 2026