Fear in a Handful of Dust

Amon Tobin's first full-length on his own Nomark label, rather than his longtime home Ninja Tune, moves further away from the jazzy, breakbeat-driven mode of his earlier material and closer to the intense sound design of his soundtrack work and video game scores. These are highly intricate electro-acoustic pieces that bring to mind composers like Morton Subotnick and Gyorgy Ligeti rather than any of Tobin's former labelmates. On selections like "Vipers Follow You," tactile plucked strings are set against buzzes and hums; they're suddenly reversed halfway through, creating a bizarre push-and-pull effect. "Freeformed" approximates the vigorous crunch of Tobin's drill'n'bass days without using drums. The presence of pretty melodies during "Pale Forms Run By" and "Fooling Alright" (a warped psychedelic pop lullaby/nightmare filled with eerie vocals and blasted delay) assure that the album isn't some sort of overtly serious, academic undertaking. "Velvet Owl" similarly rides a rolling rhythmic progression and a cool organ tone into a more abrasive period of slight confusion before resuming its easygoing swing. Fear in a Handful of Dust seems like a departure for Tobin, but even while he's abandoning conventional rhythms or genre signifiers, his music remains unmistakably human, and as challenging as the album might seem, it's easier to listen to than one might expect. ~ Paul Simpson