Matthew Dear - Black City
Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 12:31PM 
MATTHEW DEAR - BLACK CITY
Over the past decade, Ghostly International’s Matthew Dear has been one of the most consistently innovative electronic dance music producers around. He has managed to be at the center of—and often anticipate—virtually every major trend, while maintaining an unmistakable, easily recognizable “sound” of his own. Not only that, Dear has managed to cross over to the indie set—standouts like 2003’s Dog Days and 2007’s Don and Sherri fit as well with hipster standbys LCD Soundsystem or Ra Ra Riot as they do with anything from the Minus or Berghain catalogues. In an era of throwbacks, copycats, subdivisions and cookie-cutters, this is no mean feat.
At the same time, Dear could be accused of producing music that is, arguably, more “cool” than “moving.” Mid-decade albums Backstroke and Asa Breed were inconsistent affairs, with definable high points punctuating filler material that was technically impressive and bleeding edge, but not necessarily memorable. This speaks to a tension inherent to all of Dear’s work, between his dance music chops
and his pop purist dreams. He’s at his best when these two centrifugal forces achieve a sort of harmony, resulting in quirky, inventive, danceable electronic pop music. I’m happy to say that, on Black City, Dear has managed to sustain this critical synthesis across most of the album, producing what is undoubtedly his best, most mature full-length effort yet.
Black City, in some respects, harkens back to Detroit’s roots, and more precisely, to the European electro-pop played on Detroit’s radio and dance clubs at the precise moment of techno’s inception. Early New Order, Depeche Mode, Cabaret Voltaire and Talking Heads are all on the table here, particularly on the uptempo numbers “Little People (Black City)” and “You Put a Smell on Me.” But it’s never too
obvious or too much. You never forget that this is Dear and not one of his heroes. Coming at a time when good mimicry often passes for originality, this is not shallow praise.
Dear also channels 90s avant-pop; more than ever, his vocals remind me of a twisted Beck, while compressed, lazy-day guitar licks bring Tortoise or the Sea and Cake to mind. At times this conceptual melting pot grates a bit, as with the interesting, but difficult-to-love “I Can’t Feel.” At others, such as the exquisite, glacial “Slowdance”, it comes together like Rauschenberg. “Monkey” represents the
high water mark for Black City. Backed by a slinky, Balearic-tempo beat, Dear’s absurd, yet suggestive vocals mix with positively gorgeous synth landscapes that grow more complex and soaring as the track progresses. By all rights, this should be a hit in Berlin and Brooklyn both.
This album should appeal to Dear’s fans, as well as broaden his listenership. It certainly should as it’s his most satisfying album yet. It may also herald his move away from electronic dance music convention. While some may be disappointed by the lack of proper, 120bpm house or techno tracks, it’s a small price to pay for a truly inventive, clever album of lasting artistic value. Highly recommended.
Gustav Brown
Reader Comments (1)
Great review, Gustav. I have enjoyed previous Matthew Dear releases, so am looking forward to listening to this one!