eMusic

Start Your Trial

Asa Breed Black Edition

by

Matthew Dear

 
Asa Breed Black Edition
view larger image View Larger

Rate it!

Avg: 4.0 (37 ratings)

Detroit dance producer genre-hops his way to an instant classic.

  • We Say...

    Review by Mark Richardson

    Lately appearing as Audion, purveyor of floor-friendly techno, Detroit's Matthew Dear saves his given name for work that marries lean, beat-driven tracks to structures that flirt with pop, featuring his deep and unusual singing voice. Indeed, flirting with pop is as far as Dear had gotten — until Asa Breed. Now, it seems, the relationship has been consummated. For evidence, check the track times: the first two Dear records averaged about five minutes per, and most could have been dancefloor fodder in instrumental form. Asa Breed's songs are comparatively succinct and draw from a much wider array of styles. You don't expect a guy who has logged this many hours in hip dance clubs the world over to deliver a track like the percussion-free "Give Me More," which is driven by a strummed acoustic guitar, or "Midnight Lovers," which isn't terribly far from the gothic roots-rock of the Black Heart Procession.

    Dear proves surprisingly adept at such genre-hopping, but catchy, hypnotic electro-pop is still where his greatest talent (and, one imagines, his heart) lies. And for that he gives us a solid handful of clear winners like the Prince-inflected "Pom Pom" and the dramatic and poignant "Deserter," which adds a neo-shoegaze guitar drone to a melody worthy of prime Depeche Mode. Those most interested in his focused production work might find Asa Breed slightly confusing at first, but repeated listens affirm that this is Matthew Dear's best album to date.

    The Black Edition of Asa Breed contains remixes and re-envisionings from Four Tet and Hot Chip, as well three tracks not included on the original digital release.

  • They Say...

    Review by Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

    Asa Breed furthers a seemingly happenstance shift to electronics-based indie pop that began on 2003's Leave Luck to Heaven and continued on 2004's Backstroke. Where the vocal tracks on those two albums sounded as if they began as instrumentals and just happened to benefit from lyrics and melodies thought up after the fact, there is an apparent deliberate attempt here at making songs. "Deserter" is the greatest example of Matthew Dear's gradual development as a writer, one of the most affecting songs he has made -- full of dazed textures, a very direct beat, and a typically disconnected vocal, it doesn't seem built to move the listener in any way, but it unexpectedly grabs hold, not unlike Wire's most subdued and straightforward material (such as "The 15th" or "Heartbeat"). One thing that hasn't changed is the elusiveness of the lyrics: most of them could mean anything, or perhaps nothing at all, and what seems tossed-off could have some profound subtext. No matter the amount of effort Dear put into his lyrics, the sounds he makes with his voice still take precedence. A little exposure to his constantly morphing flat baritone goes a long way, even though it is used in so many ways; there's barely intelligible gibberish, singsongy semi-sneering, exaggerated David Byrne deadpan, whiny whispering, and a few other methods used to convey stories, self-examination, and in-jokes. (With its resemblance to Japan's "Visions of China," "Shy" could use a David Sylvian impersonation, but that is not so easy to pull off.) Since producing dancefloor tracks remains Dear's most natural talent, a few of the album's songs would just happen to be effective as instrumentals when played in certain clubs; the likes of "Neighborhood," "Don and Sherri," and "Fleece on Brain," when stripped of vocals, sound just like typical Dear productions, but they do bend toward the need of the song. If there is an unexpected aspect of the album, it's within the last quarter of the program, where there are three scruffy songs dominated by acoustic guitar. Lurching and rumbling away, Dear sounds in need of shade and water, susceptible to being knocked over by some stray tumbleweed. [Ghostly International's 2008 Black Edition featured alternate album art and four bonus tracks.]

  • You Say...

    Write a Review

    I would like to say...

    Artist: Matthew Dear

    Album: Asa Breed Black Edition

    Review Title: (maximum 50 characters)

    Your Review: (maximum 1,000 characters)

    Cancel

    Please keep your comments to the recordings themselves, and be courteous and respectful. Thanks! For further info, read our Community Guidelines.

“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”


Rolling Stone
Start Your Trial

Recently Viewed

Back
Forward

© 1998-2009 eMusic.com Inc. eMusic and the eMusic logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks in the USA or other countries. All rights reserved.

All Music Guide © 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC

Facebook®, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia® are registered trademarks of their respective owners, Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. and Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Neither Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. nor Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. are partners or sponsors of eMusic. eMusic uses the Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia API but is not endorsed or certified by Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia. eMusic does not pre-screen, monitor, endorse nor assume any liability for websites, contents, products, services or claims made by Facebook, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia®.

Legal or copyright question regarding Facebook, YouTube, Flickr or Wikipedia content on eMusic? Please email us.