Honestly, I have no idea if the machines will save us all one day or kill us all. On the plus side, while we wait to find out, they’re being used to make some interesting music. Here are some of the best synthetic sounds that came my way in 2019:
TINNITIST’S PICK
Thom Yorke
Anima
Complete this sentence: Thom Yorke’s Anima is …
A | The third solo album from Radiohead’s prolific frontman, resident genius and chief visionary;
B | An electronica concept piece about dreams, love, anxiety, Jungian philosophy, technology and contemporary dystopia;
C | The soundtrack to a playfully acrobatic, avant-garde modern-dance film;
D | The score to a surreal, metaphorical fable about a sleepy dude with a man-bun who loses his lunch and finds love on the way to work;
E | The epic jingle to the artsiest mass-transit advert ever created.
The correct answer, of course, is yes. Anima, the 50-year-old singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and restlessly experimental eccentric’s latest extracurricular creation — which arrives accompanied by a Paul Thomas Anderson short film/long video of the same name currently airing on Netflix — is all of the above. And probably some more besides.
READ THE FULL REVIEW AND HEAR THE ALBUM HERE
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Avicii | Tim
James Blake | Assume Form
Bones UK | Bones UK
The Chemical Brothers | No Geography
Billie Eilish | When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Brian Eno | Apollo: Atmospheres And Soundtracks Extended Edition
FKA Twigs | Magdalene
Gum Takes Tooth | Arrow
Kele | 2042
Stephen Malkmus | Groove Denied
Niggght | Violent Delicacy
Scattered Clouds | Take Away Your Summer
DJ Shadow | Our Pathetic Age
Tegan & Sara | Hey, I’m Just Like You
TO FIND REVIEWS OF THESE ALBUMS, PLEASE USE THE SEARCH WINDOW AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE
