bvdub - Resistance Is Beautiful

You pretty much know what to expect from bvdub by now, right? Wrong! Oh, wait, no, no, never mind, you were right actually...or were you? This one starts out with the usual trademark drones and washes taking us to alternate planes of woozy consciousness and cosmic reverie. According to the press release it “reminds us of those days when there was nothing we wouldn't fight for” which seems kind of violent and irrational. Even on my most pugilistic days there are things I wouldn't fight for. Penny sweets, the EDL, a chance to see the newly-reformed Steps in concert...I could go on. Thankfully, this music is anything but violent and irrational. I'm a few minutes in now and there's a glacial techno beat and some cut up vocals going on over the drones. By bvdub's standards this is positively pumping. “Slicing”, says Phil. There's certainly melody and musicality (and yes, rhythm) that are often simply not present in these kind of ambient works, and that combined with a constant feeling of evolution make for a varied and refreshing listen from the 'dubmeister. It's good to hear this degree of variety from him as he goes through a series of enveloping late night moods for our aural pleasure. I'd still say this is largely on the drone/ambient side of things but the presence of beats in parts of this record really helps bring it to life and push it forward. Don't go expecting a total reinvention, though. It's still the same texture collage style we all know and love really, just with a couple of nods to his more techno influences thrown in. If you're already a fan this is one of the more complete artistic statements I've heard from this guy, and if you're not then it'd be a very accessible place to start.