Machine Drum - Room(s) (review)

Machine Drum has crafted one of the albums of the year, lifting freely from everything that is hip in the electronic world and combining with footwork undertones to create an exhilirating opus. Being Machine Drum, the attention to detail is faultless. Like Prefuse 73, he succeeds in blurring the distinction between rhythm and melody. The album centres around the surprisingly anthemic 'Gbye', with ingenious use of vocal samples harking back to his earliest work. If something as niche as electronica could have a zeitgeist, this would have captured it.

9/10

For fans of: Prefuse 73, Mount Kimbie

Lil B. - I'm Gay (review)

This is a really good hip-hop record. Lil B's rapping is languid as ever and the production is as good as it gets. Rap purists may disagree, but for me a great backing track is as important as the rapping itself, and Lil B and his collaborators have both parts of the formula in plentiful supply. 'Game' is possibly the highlight, although the feel good vibe of 'Get It While It's Good' is pretty darn infectious. By Lil B's standards, this is a very cohesive release, but that's not a criticism - it makes it a much easier listen than the madness (and genius) of, say, '6 Kiss'.

8/10

Lamb - 5 (review)

Lamb are one of my all-time favourite groups, and I'm not sure I'll ever understand why they aren't talked about in the same breath as Portishead and Massive Attack, aside from the fact that they shouldn't be talked about in the same breath, because they are so much more awesome. Opening track 'Another Language' sums up why I love them - breakbeats that any aspiring IDM producer should take a moment to check out, and Lou Rhodes's haunting vocals are as beautiful as ever. 'Build A Fire' takes their sound in a whole new direction, and from start to finish they barely put a foot wrong. Great comeback from a great band.

8.5/10

For fans of: Portishead, Massive Attac

Hype Williams - One Nation (review)

Hazy, downtempo RnB meets Boards Of Canada meets 'hypnagogic pop', Hype Williams occupy a sonic space which is ultimately completely their own.Perhaps it is the languid beats, maybe the grainy textures, but the music sounds incredibly nonchalant, drifting along at its own pace, motifs coming and going as they please. The rough-around-the-edges feel is part of the appeal, but at times I wish there was more of the precision-programming of my IDM heroes. Only sometimes though; for the most part this is excellent.

8/10

For fans of: Boards of Canada, J Dilla, Prefuse 73, Oneohtrix Point Never

Forma - Forma (review)

Layers upon layers of warm, fuzzy synths swirling around in a melancholy, yet uplifting way. Forma sounds like a softer Emeralds, and while this is hardly innovative, it does the whole 'hypnagogic pop' thing very well (this is what I wanted Oneohtrix Point Never to sound like this year...).

8/10

For fans of: Emeralds, Oneohtrix Point Never, Fennesz

The Field - Looping State of Mind (reivew)

The Field confirms himself here as one of the vital techno artists of his generation with another utterly hypnotic album. Like Gas, he finds loops that you want to go on forever. The title track is the apex of the album, both in terms of position and in terms of being, well, a simply terrific achievement. Ten minutes of absorbing euphoric synths, with the occasional minor chord thrown in to give the music an edge. Trance music should always sound like this.

8.5/10

For fans of: Gas

Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care. Take Care (review)

The melodies are pretty enough, but when I get to the end I can't really remember what happened. If you like EITS, you'll like this, but I doubt you'll love it.

6.5/10

For fans of: Mogwai, Sigur Ros