Monday, 16 December 2013

Albums of the Year 2013 #4 - Jon Hopkins - Immunity


In fourth position on Breaking More Waves albums of 2013 list is Immunity by Jon Hopkins. The one time Coldplay and King Creosote collaborator has cropped up on plenty of end of year lists already with this devilishly good electronic album and now we’re adding him to ours. 

Immunity takes you on a propulsive and absorbing musical journey that matches some of the best work by the likes of Aphex Twin and Brian Eno. The road isn’t straight from A to B, that would be too simple. Instead it’s one that takes detours, sneaks down a side alley, shows you something you didn’t expect and only then delivers you safely at the end wanting to do it all again. It’s not a record to enjoy by pressing play on one song, skip the next and maybe listen to some others later. This is a record that requires you to set aside an hour and listen from to start to finish, with no distractions. 

Immunity is an album formed from technology, but as many other commentators have suggested, it’s one that has in places a very human side (although other parts writhe around in celebration of technology). It plots a soundtrack from the opening doors and slithering glitchy beats of We Disappear to the ambient piano soundscape beauty of the closing title track and with it brings bags of imagery and emotion. Immunity is a ride, a relationship, an experience, a voyage of sound, sculptured from simple changes, minimalism, repetition, pulsing left field computerisations and wonder. It's one of our favourite long-players of 2013.

Jon Hopkins - Collider



Jon Hopkins - Open Eye Signal (Video)


Jon Hopkins 'Open Eye Signal' from AOIFE MCARDLE on Vimeo.

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