Search - False [A.K.A. Matthew Dear] :: 2007

	False [A.K.A. Matthew Dear] 2007 Genres: Dance & Electronic, Pop This is the second full-length release by DJ and producer False (aka Matthew Dear, Audion). Essentially a special one-off live set, 2007 defines Dear's relationship with M_nus. Together with the accompanying vinyl release ... more » « less
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CD Details

All Artists: False [A.K.A. Matthew Dear]
Title: 2007
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Minus
Original Release Date: 1/1/2007
Re-Release Date: 8/7/2007
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Pop
Styles: Electronica, House, Dance Pop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 881390715527, 0881390715527, 088139071552

Synopsis

Album Description

This is the second full-length release by DJ and producer False (aka Matthew Dear, Audion). Essentially a special one-off live set, 2007 defines Dear's relationship with M_nus. Together with the accompanying vinyl release of Fed On Youth/Face The Rain, he's concocted a work of such stunning intricacy, verve and substance that it will surely be amongst the favorites when this year's highlights are assessed. The opening sequence unfurls gradually, but even as the ominous "Indy 3000" drifts into the metronomic comfort of "Meat Me In The Market," you can already feel the gravitational pull sucking you in. The electro shock therapy of "Warm Co." and the pensive minimalism of "Timing" and "Alright Liar" continue turning the screw -- and before you know it, you're lost in a void of slow, chugging sub-beats, filtered vox fx and dense, disorienting reverb. Distant melodies somehow make it through, like the soft, meditative tones on "Plus Plus" and the melancholy motif of "Face the Rain," which leaves you temporarily frozen and suspended before the energetic "Dollar Down" ushers in the pivotal, subsonic avalanche of "Disease/George Washington." The album starts to gather momentum on the home stretch, as the tension and suspense of "Act Like Children/Excalibur" rolls into "In The Heather," which in turn, breaks under the weight of "Fed On Youth" as Dear finally unleashes a sequence of laser-guided synth stabs that recall the hi-octane drive-by of the intro. "Stomachs/Ankle Biter" extends the climactic conclusion amid a wash of analog white noise before "Forgetting" finally releases the pressure valve, slowly drifting back to the initial point of origin. What is so memorable about this collection of tracks is the way it strikes the perfect balance between abstract experimentation and full-on techno nirvana without ever breaking stride or losing focus. There's nothing brash or over-blown here, all the real action is nestled between the beats -- enticing yet unreachable -- while the grooves he concocts are all so earthy and raw that the kick drum functions as an alternative rather than a necessity.

CD Reviews

Mesmerizing!

Gary Peterson | San Diego, California USA | 01/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I enjoy many kinds of music, but in the last decade or so I've been particularly hooked on the electronica genre. I'm not sure as to why. It just seems to catch and hold my interest better than other types of music. Under the electronica banner, I seem to own most CDs put out by The Chemical Brothers and Orbital. Plus, I'd have to give a nod to The Crystal Method and The Prodigy. Good stuff all. There are many, many others, of course, but my tastes have been leaning in the direction as represented by those groups. Well, I've gradually burned out on the Brothers and Orbital seems to be gone for whatever reason. During this wind down, a fellow named Matthew Dear seems to have emerged as my leading practitioner.

I'd regard Matthew Dear to be an electronica genius. No question. He has a unique signature sound and weaves a magnificent sonic landscape. He can be light and frolicking or deep and somber. He can be funny. No matter what, Matthew Dear is always interesting, although I don't particularly care for his vocals. Dear's latest CD, "False 2007" has me overwhelmed. It surpasses anything I've heard by him or any other electronica artist. When I finished listening for the first time, I felt like rising and shouting "Bravo!"

Dear subdivides his "False" CD into 14 tracks, each with titles and sometimes subtitles. What this might mean, I have no idea. The entire CD is essentially one continuous composition and I'm hard pressed to separate the different "songs" without resorting to watching the counter on the CD player. He starts out by gradually gliding into "Indy 3000" and 14 "tracks" later fades out with "Forgetting." In between is a continuous, ever-changing stream of sounds with moods ranging from light and humorous to dark and somewhat disturbing. It's magnificent! The stream of sounds blend smoothly together and present fascinating listening throughout the CD. The CD has a few voices added in the latter third, but there are no vocals. All the rest is a masterful blending of electronic lines of sound entering, changing and exiting and blended with the others in a seamless sonic tapestry. This is very interesting stuff! It's not at all like a series of songs, rather it's more like an extended symphonic piece with many different moods. I was mesmerized throughout the entire listening period.

I love this CD. I'd say it's Dear's magnum opus, without question. What will this fellow come up with next? Out of curiosity, I asked my fiancée what she thought of it. She said I shouldn't play it around her again unless I'm listening with the headphones.

Gary Peterson"