First off, if you want to read a proper review of Two Fingers’ album just head here where I reviewed it a few months back. Instead, starting today and for the rest of the year, the musical side of Disc of the Day will be devoting itself more subjectively to theartsdesk's new music writers’ favourite albums of 2012.
My contenders range from Orbital’s startlingly vital post-sabbatical return (Wonky) to Dexys' superb concept album about life, love and relationships (One Day I’m Going To Soar), from the very different, fascinating femme-pop of Santigold (Master of My Make Believe) and Sinead O’Connor (How About I Be Me And You Be You?) to the uncategorizable prog-pop excesses of Finland’s Pepe Deluxé (Queen of the Wave). Top of the pile, though, is this monster, the second album from Amon Tobin’s noisy bastard breakbeat project. It has all the evil rave twistedness of early ‘90s hardcore but mashed into dubstep’s advances in bass technology and general wob-wob-ness, elastically bridging heaviosity and titanium funk.
Apparently Tobin will perform some of it at a Hammersmith Palais concert next March (Friday 8th) but until then I shall have to stick to what I’ve been doing so far - pumping it up as loud as it will go, rattling the windows and giving up on what the neighbours think. This is an album that attacks you with a cosh. Sure, some of it has a twitchy depth, and there’s consistently a complexity underlying the obvious intentions and apparent ear-thuggery. However, like much of the best pop music ever made, from the pre-Beatles trash of The Sonics to the goon-punk of The Ramones to the stark percussive propulsion of minimal techno, the key to it is its absolute unfettered raw directness.
In short, stick it on, turn it up, let it melt the stresses of this world away and pogo about like a lunatic. It’s one of those.
Watch a motor-centric unofficial video for "Sweden"
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