These Humble Machines

After reinventing himself as more of a headphone artist with 2006’s glitchy album This Binary Universe, BT takes it a step further on These Humble Machines, an album that explores the producer’s love of freedom and exploration. This is actually the single-disc, slightly shortened version of the two-disc These Hopeful Machines, but just like its parent, most tracks here build, fade away, morph, and wander about with little care for what radio, clubs, or a major label might require. Fans who enjoy the glitch-meets-trance textures of Universe will find even more to love here, and more songs, too, as BT, the returning JES, and a handful of guest vocalists deliver the usual lyrics filled with modern mysticism. Riding “Suddenly” from its crunchy, avant opening to its Black Eyed Peas-like middle and on to its glitch-fueled flame-out is exciting, while the closing take on the Psychedelic Furs’ “The Ghost in You” is a different trip, something akin to calmly floating in an ‘80s pop hit for five minutes. “Forget Me” combines alt-rock angst and field recordings to great effect, while “Le Nocturne de Lumiére” creates a dream world out of thumb pianos and thumping house beats. Listeners who don’t mind so many devices and left turns must still be predisposed to BT’s airy, big-sky style of electronica to get the most out of this long, involved journey. These Humble Machines doesn’t try to convince; it’s meant to reward the already converted with a vast wonderland of melodic glitch and prolonged bliss. – David Jeffries