Herbert - Part 8

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  • Matthew Herbert's reactivation of the Parts series he started in 1995 has been one of the highlights of 2014. Part 8 is this year's third EP, and it will be the final one in the series, for now at least. A new Herbert album is slated for release in early 2015, and this EP is yet another reason to look forward to it, and to be thankful for him unexpectedly reviving his house-focused guise. The first thing that strikes you about Part 8 is what a departure its second track is. "Remembering Ken" is a simple piano and percussion vehicle for the melancholy guest vocals of Ade Omotayo, who appears on the new Kindness record and was a backing singer for Amy Winehouse. It's not one of my favourite moments from 2014's Parts EPs, but it's an elegantly realised stylistic curveball nonetheless. More familiar sounds await elsewhere, from the stuttering, serrated synth pop of "The Wrong Place," to "Ticket"'s submerged techno clatter. "Her Face" ends things on a wonky but pretty note, with a throbbing rhythmic spine overlain with cascading, tinkling melodies. The EP achieves what it set out to do with characteristic effortlessness.
  • Tracklist
      A1 The Wrong Place A2 Remember Ken B1 Ticket B2 Her Face
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