Benbecula Records
Scotland, est. 1999
Electronica, ambient, electro, folk, post-rock ... blah
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Christ. "Blue Shift Emissions" Benbecula Records, 2006 (BEN031CD / BEN031) CD/DLP Album 5060110360680 / 5060110360673 Release date: 22 January 2007 BUY THIS RELEASE Track Listing (Track samples are edits) 01 Substation 02 Happyfour Twenty 03 Making a Snow Angel 04 Ganky 05 Stained Century 06 Cordate  07 Holobenthic Grex Venalium 08 Blue Shifty Missions 09 Breathe Between Sleep 10 Vernor Vinge 11 Balaam Christ. finally returns with his long awaited second long player. Following the intermediate "Seeing and Doing EP" in 2005 which journeyed through an introspective path, Christ.'s new album is a return to the melodic fold and builds upon his unique individual style that was unleashed to the world via his "Pylonesque" debut. Released in Winter 2006, the album glistens with simplistic beauty underpinned by subtle yet expertly crafted washes of sound. Tracks like "Cordate" have been Christ.'s trademark from pre-Benbecula days, and one only has to marvel at the recording of this live, single-take keyboard piece to fully appreciate the influence he has had. Christ. strips back electronic melody into its purest form and when you have the talent, foresight and confidence in the originality of your music, less is definitely more. |
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Airplay Radio 1 - Mary Anne Hobbs Reviews "... [is] such a marvellous, fully-rounded piece of work it could serve as an electronic standard for other would-be composers to regard as an ideal model ..." Ron Schepper, Textura " ... there is an anchoring flicker of oxidized, fireside beats. He manifests a bucolic whorl with the best of them, referencing the immersive and animatronic sensibilities of both the Warp and Morr catalogs with an insistent sawtooth undercurrent." XLR8R ... Blue Shift Emissions is highly likeable, perhaps because of its essentially familiar elements ... But for all that Blue Shift Emissions doesn't feel tired or retro - its nostalgia is actually refreshing. Furthermore, there's a game, rough feel about these pieces. Even on the sweeping "Making A Snow Angel", as Christ. is gazing at the stars, you sense he's doing so from his garage. David Stubbs, The Wire "... Blue Shift Emissions is not an album to skip through hastily, it is clearly intended to be savoured in its entirety. Unlike Pylonesque, an EP made up of tracks with clear individual impact and no overall structure to speak of, there is a very natural progression and structural cohesion to this record, from the opening synth swells of “Substation”, right through to the woozy and serene closing keyboard riffs of “Balaam”. The journey in between is packed full of idyllic, beautifully melodic slabs of electronica, delicate and uncluttered in content, yet instantly accessible and beguiling. Blue Shift Emissions is one of those rare joys, an electronica record that is instantly loveable, yet one that reveals more with every listen. Christ., the saviour of UK electronica? You better believe it." 9/10 PopMatters "... Blue Shift Emissions isn't simply another electronic shoegaze album as such ... Certainly the long, stretched-out drones that underpin nearly everything on the disc have a general relation to the gaze approach but they are more often used as core lengthy loops, while the crisp percussion steers away from aggro glitch in favor of tense, understated tension. "Ganky" is a sharp example, with the blend of the above elements further punctuated by soft tones and almost exploratory jazz hooks via keyboards. ... the result is an 11-song album that seems to get better as it goes, the more so because the songs all aim for being distinct pieces rather than simply one constant progression into another." Billboard / AMG "... the sound of being licked by a blue flame or trapped in a purple-tinged lava lamp with warm analog synths washing over you ..." URB "... Blue Shift Emissions possesses a more spiraling church-like vibe than its predecessor; it might be less full speed forward than a tentative look back in the rear view mirror, but it’s a fantastic album on its own terms" Resident Advisor "This album contains 100% ethereal, otherworldly ambiance and lethargic bass, cleaned up but not really improved upon. Luckily, he was already a legend so there really wasn’t much to improve on anyway. Like Portishead, Liquid Chris H could make this album till the end of time and I’d still line up to buy it. It’s that moving, and as poignant as chill has ever been or will be." Nerve "... Never heavy-handed, employing deft strokes, swathes, echoes, and pulses, an almost amiable warmth miles away from the digital thunk and crunk of a more clinical electronica kitchen pervades without blandification." EI "Christ.’s real skill is in his lightness of touch. Deft strokes, swathes, echoes, and pulses give this, his second long playing offering, a playful warmth which of late has been driven from so much electronic music in favour of a brutal fashionista stomp of curt, clinical strokes ..." The List "It is warm, optimistic, and familiar, proving once again that Christ. is a talented man." Gridface "New album from Christ that sees him taking his style into deeper territory, building tracks from Brian Eno like washes of sound, delicate, well-placed drums and edited details. This isn't boundary breaking music, but it's horizontalizing effect and subtle colour and depth make it a real pleasure on repeated listens." Warpmart "... beautiful Scottish Electronics" Groove, Germany Resources Christ. on Benbecula Christ. on MySpace |
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