Matthew Dear’s previous LP, 2010’s seductively dystopian Black City, saw the Texas-born DJ/multi-instrumentalist/singer/producer/label-head (*phew*) step out from behind the computer screen to front-of-stage. With a solid base of deep, dark house beats supporting him, Dear’s electronically contorted baritone and abstract sensual lyrics helped pull him out of the clubs and onto worldwide stages, no doubt inspired by his time touring with the likes of Hot Chip and Interpol. Helping him make the transition from house producer to electronic-pop obscurist. The difference between Black City and his latest offering, Beams, is evident in the title. While the former was all dimly lit nightclubs and back-alleys, black cars and sweat; Beams is a far more colourful affair. Opener ‘Her Fantasy’ is possibly the densest song in Dear’s catalogue, but rather than succumbing to its sheer weight of layers; it sets its sights skyward as Dear asserts: “there’s just one in a million hearts/ that feels the way I do.” A sinister element of Dear’s sonic universe always lurking in the background; “are you my delicious game?” he later queries. Much like LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, Dear is celebrated for creating sonic shapes and settings which sound specifically his. Electronic squelches, a myriad of polyrhythmic hi-hats, congas, cowbells and synth warbles provide the base for every trip on the album. ‘Earthforms’ is the closest Dear has come to straight up rock and roll. Propelled by a single bass groove, Dear employs his mastery as a producer, changing vocal melodies and sonic textures to assure us, “it’s alright to be someone else sometimes.” Both ‘Headcage’ and ‘Fighting is Futile’ are filled with all kinds of colour, helping make this record as much a summer road-trip listen as it is a nightclub floor-filler, and despite the sinister air to ‘Overtime’, or ‘Shake Me’, with the suspicious admission “I laughed when they hit you with their sticks”; the endearing ‘Ahead of Myself’ and ‘Do the Right Thing’ suggest that as Dear’s musical landscapes start to see more daylight, his themes too are slowly stepping out of the shadows. The endless creativity to Dear’s production make Beams an album which rewards on repeated listens, as new layers and nuances reveal themselves over time. While not as concise or sultry as its predecessor, Beams is another ambitious and engaging trip into the multi-faceted ‘headcage’ of its creator. – Alastair Matcott
