This self-titled sophomore outing is equal parts downtempo electronics and simmering inner-city echoes.
A tangled hip-hop web shimmies into fragrant click-hop on Cuttooth‘s follow-up to Elements (Psychonavigation, 2011)—a softer yet logical progression. The vinyl crackle and vocal treatments are ever more clear—including vox from Hitomi (King Midas / Ninja Tune), Sarah Linhares (Onra / All City) and Bridle Jackson (Glastonbury Emerging Talent 2013 Winner)—Nick Cooke has kept a rather low-profile while continuing to cultivate his sound signature.
Rummaging through tranquilized tones, faded melodious moments and textured manipulations, elements of early Vanessa Daou pierce through the low-end crumpled rhythms. Managing to elegantly pepper the landscape with lightly dosed lyrics—which don’t over-saturate the production—this self-titled sophomore outing is equal parts downtempo electronics and simmering inner-city echoes.
Not quite veering into chilled terrain, “All of Salem” and “Casting Shade” certainly do take the edge off any hard day’s work. The slight buzz, fizz, crackle and pop featured throughout these recordings create a vintage passage through time, lost in a clipped percussive envelope. The reflective moments tend to ebb and flow on tracks like “FM Radio” and “”Illusion Symptom” where washed voices fade into and out of focus—fans of early Malcom Kipe may enjoy the stripped drum abstraction and subdued harmonies. The sparks also glow on “Intro” and “Outro” where shimmering nostalgic strings begin to take shape and just as swiftly vanish into thin air. While quaint electronic music speaks for itself when carefully crafted, Cuttooth utilizes the human voice to compliment these minimized sonic fractures and segues into calm, acoustic terrain.
Cuttooth is available on Lux 4. [Clone | Juno]
