This album starts off with its title track, “Singularity”, and right off the bat, I love the opening tone to this album. It’s just so intense immediately, and so nocturnal. And as noisy as this intro is, it doesn’t really push you away ever. Just the opposite, it brings you in for more. There’s just so much mystery here, it actually gives me the chills. And while this is mostly a very synthetic, cold track, Jon does a really great job of bringing in some seriously deep emotions. Now, these aren’t instantaneous tracks, I’ve compared Jon’s later work to the work of Ben Frost. But even Ben’s work is more upfront than this. “Singularity” takes time, with one layered synth slowly piling up after another, and that rumbling beat is seemingly light years away. But it builds in a really interesting, exciting way. And it’s almost Progressive, sort of the way Deadmau5’s early works was (don’t hate, “4x4=12” and “For Lack of a Better Name” both rule). Also, the payoff here is euphoric than anything, and it ushers in this deep House beat that I usually wouldn’t be cute about. But Jon pulls it off wonderfully. It’s certainly intense, but it just has so much depth that I can’t say no. On the other hand “Emerald Rush” has so much mystery and adventure to it right off the bat. There’s almost a Neo-Classical feel to this like I could almost see Nils Frahm fans being into this. But this one begins building rather quickly into a much more muscular, hulking beat. It’s certainly harder to digest, but it still has some serious grooves to it. It’s still progressive, and it never really stays with one sound longer than a few seconds. But that leads to just how adventurous this album comes off. And those backing vocals give this such a truly haunting sound. Now, like I said this isn’t as accessible and ear-grabbing as the intro. But Jon is still doing some great work. On the other hand, “Neon Pattern Drum” is absolutely massive. Right off the bat, these synths are suffocating. Not to mention, his glitchy use of sounds here is certainly attention-grabbing. It’s experimental and certainly very progressive. But Jon always seems to reel this one back in with some big grooves. These are much more lowly and sort of have a chilled out vibe to them. But I would much rather groove to this rather than what passes for EDM nowadays. Not to mention, this very interstellar production is just wonderful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MiCLh_j2aY
Then we have “Everything Connected” which dabbles more in the sounds of conventional Techno and House music. But between some seriously rich textures and smooth production, once again this is really likable. This one really pops in a BIG way. But what really makes these tracks work is the backdrop. This isn’t just a collection of lifeless dance beats. These are very groovy dance tracks, set up against shimmering atmospheres. The synths are energetic, and when this one transition into its second movement things get actually pretty stunning. In come these walls of sound you would expect to hear from a Post Rock album almost. And for the rest of the track, it sort of transitions back and forth between that and the tight grooves from earlier. And yea, it comes off pretty unbelievable. I would say it even justifies being over 10 minutes because this one just sits with you and grows into this beat right in front of your eyes. But with each of these tracks, there is still a great ideal of darkness, like the truly ominous last 30 seconds. To be honest I sort of wish Jon would get a little darker and go down that rough. Because “Feel First Life” is a FAR left turn. Here, Jon goes for a straight-up ambient track, which I think would be much more effective if he did go for more of a darker sound. Because this track is certainly pleasant, and it’s gorgeous don’t get me wrong. But I just feel like this could have been so much more. Hopkins has such talent with playing with sounds and building atmospheres. “Feel First Life” to me just feels safe. On the other hand, “C O S M” immediately presents a thick atmosphere that has you on the edge of your seat. This is so simple, so chilly and inhuman sounding that I can’t say no. Hopkins’ ambient work has come so far over the years, the fact that this guy years ago was literally pushing out loads of uninspired Techno and House is beyond me. “C O S M” is patient, but it ushers in a sweet groove in a really interesting and different way. It’s just so shimmering and well produced. And while nothing here gets too heavy, this is much more of the ambient style that I love to hear from Jon. Plus, when things start to get more experimental and hulking, it’s truly thrilling. It remains playful and never gets uninviting. But it’s also cinematic, and keeps your attention masterfully.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMTF-IocBi4
Then we get “Echo Dissolve”, and we once again see Jon bringing in some elements of Neo-Classical. Which yea, might not be for everyone, but it gives this album a much needed human feel to it. It’s just so delicate and beautiful, and far from the shimmering Electronic and Ambient, we’ve been getting so far. I wouldn’t say it’s jaw-dropping or a track that’s going to be a difference maker. But it’s a well performed, emotional interlude. However, “Luminous Beings” is the dark, heavy track that I’ve been dying to hear for a while. Immediately this track is the most intense one of the bunch, with gigantic bass and a truly unnerving atmosphere. Then this very otherworldly beat comes in, and everything gets ’s truly freakish very fast. To me though, this is Jon’s most progressive track here, with all sort of interesting production and tricks. At its core, there’s a straight up Deep House tune. But piled on top of it all are these truly interesting atmospheres, and it’s all so good. The groove is strong, but it doesn’t even sound like it’s from this planet. But it’s also a seriously playful and engaging track. And while I wish this tune was more of these things, it’s just a really great tune. And what I’ve loved about this all so far, is how satisfying tracks like this are. Jon starts an idea, fleshes it out, and finishes it. Jon ends this album off with a very light finale with “Recovery”. Thankfully Jon can really pull off a lot of these sounds. Once again, the sort of Neo-Classical vibes are alive and well, and this track comes off so delicate. But while once again, this is a very charming and beautiful track, what about this tells me it’s a Jon Hopkins track? Almost nothing. It’s pleasant to listen to, however, so I can’t all out hate it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MiCLh_j2aY
Then we have “Everything Connected” which dabbles more in the sounds of conventional Techno and House music. But between some seriously rich textures and smooth production, once again this is really likable. This one really pops in a BIG way. But what really makes these tracks work is the backdrop. This isn’t just a collection of lifeless dance beats. These are very groovy dance tracks, set up against shimmering atmospheres. The synths are energetic, and when this one transition into its second movement things get actually pretty stunning. In come these walls of sound you would expect to hear from a Post Rock album almost. And for the rest of the track, it sort of transitions back and forth between that and the tight grooves from earlier. And yea, it comes off pretty unbelievable. I would say it even justifies being over 10 minutes because this one just sits with you and grows into this beat right in front of your eyes. But with each of these tracks, there is still a great ideal of darkness, like the truly ominous last 30 seconds. To be honest I sort of wish Jon would get a little darker and go down that rough. Because “Feel First Life” is a FAR left turn. Here, Jon goes for a straight-up ambient track, which I think would be much more effective if he did go for more of a darker sound. Because this track is certainly pleasant, and it’s gorgeous don’t get me wrong. But I just feel like this could have been so much more. Hopkins has such talent with playing with sounds and building atmospheres. “Feel First Life” to me just feels safe. On the other hand, “C O S M” immediately presents a thick atmosphere that has you on the edge of your seat. This is so simple, so chilly and inhuman sounding that I can’t say no. Hopkins’ ambient work has come so far over the years, the fact that this guy years ago was literally pushing out loads of uninspired Techno and House is beyond me. “C O S M” is patient, but it ushers in a sweet groove in a really interesting and different way. It’s just so shimmering and well produced. And while nothing here gets too heavy, this is much more of the ambient style that I love to hear from Jon. Plus, when things start to get more experimental and hulking, it’s truly thrilling. It remains playful and never gets uninviting. But it’s also cinematic, and keeps your attention masterfully.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMTF-IocBi4
Then we get “Echo Dissolve”, and we once again see Jon bringing in some elements of Neo-Classical. Which yea, might not be for everyone, but it gives this album a much needed human feel to it. It’s just so delicate and beautiful, and far from the shimmering Electronic and Ambient, we’ve been getting so far. I wouldn’t say it’s jaw-dropping or a track that’s going to be a difference maker. But it’s a well performed, emotional interlude. However, “Luminous Beings” is the dark, heavy track that I’ve been dying to hear for a while. Immediately this track is the most intense one of the bunch, with gigantic bass and a truly unnerving atmosphere. Then this very otherworldly beat comes in, and everything gets ’s truly freakish very fast. To me though, this is Jon’s most progressive track here, with all sort of interesting production and tricks. At its core, there’s a straight up Deep House tune. But piled on top of it all are these truly interesting atmospheres, and it’s all so good. The groove is strong, but it doesn’t even sound like it’s from this planet. But it’s also a seriously playful and engaging track. And while I wish this tune was more of these things, it’s just a really great tune. And what I’ve loved about this all so far, is how satisfying tracks like this are. Jon starts an idea, fleshes it out, and finishes it. Jon ends this album off with a very light finale with “Recovery”. Thankfully Jon can really pull off a lot of these sounds. Once again, the sort of Neo-Classical vibes are alive and well, and this track comes off so delicate. But while once again, this is a very charming and beautiful track, what about this tells me it’s a Jon Hopkins track? Almost nothing. It’s pleasant to listen to, however, so I can’t all out hate it.
Rating: 7.8/10
Give A Listen To: "Singularity", "Neon Pattern Drum", "C O S M", "Luminous Beings"
Genre: Electronic / Ambient
Overall Thoughts: Jon has assembled one of the most instantaneous and gratifying Electronic releases you're going to hear all year. The material here basically starts up where Jon last was, with very Progressive and well thought out Electronic music. There are stunning atmospheres and some Post Rock influences all over the place. But there's also a big serving of Neo-Classical that goes over fairly well. I have to be honest though, as pleasant on the ear those moments are, it's far from a Jon Hopkins track. Still, this is a very forward-thinking and accessible Electronic album.
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