Matthew Dear is a prolific and inspiring guy. He operates under 4 pseudonyms - Matthew Dear, Audion, False and Jabberjaw - each with their own distinctive sound, but all unmistakably Dear. As himself (Matthew Dear) he makes avant-guard synth-pop, and it is his music as himself that I am most into. His other aliases produce more edgier techno that are equally praised and respected by the relevant aficionado's.
He first came on my radar in 2007 with the album Asa Breed by Matthew Dear. With catchy riffs, pop hooks, funky bass lines, creative vocal layering and sparkly atmosphere, Asa Breed was immediately revered and solidified Dear as a genius and pioneer. It was an album that at first I didnt know how to approach, as it comes at you from many sides. But with repeated listens it grew on me to the point where it is now one of my favourite contemporary pop albums.
Outstanding tracks from Asa Breed are, Pom Pom, Deserter,
Don & Sherri
Good to be Alive
Little People (Black City)
Soil to Seed is a slower, soulful yet sleezy strut through some hood of his Black City.
And Slowdance, the crowning achievement of Black City.
Accompanying the release of Black City is 100 Black City 'totems' that embody the concept albums' simultaneous political and personal orientations and show off Dear's overarching thoughtfulness.
"Each MDBC [Matthew Dear Black City] Totem is inscribed with a unique four-character suffix that will allow users access a private page on matthewdear.com, where Black City may be streamed in its entirety from any web-accessed computer, or downloaded. Owners of the totem will also receive an exclusive track, not previously available on the standard album release. Unlike current delivery methods, the totem is a physical format for cloud-based listening, an acknowledgment of two seemingly irreconcilable notions: the need for a tangible representation of music and a future in which music utterly ethereal."
He first came on my radar in 2007 with the album Asa Breed by Matthew Dear. With catchy riffs, pop hooks, funky bass lines, creative vocal layering and sparkly atmosphere, Asa Breed was immediately revered and solidified Dear as a genius and pioneer. It was an album that at first I didnt know how to approach, as it comes at you from many sides. But with repeated listens it grew on me to the point where it is now one of my favourite contemporary pop albums.
Outstanding tracks from Asa Breed are, Pom Pom, Deserter,
Don & Sherri
Good to be Alive
Then last week (Aug 17), as Matthew Dear, he released a new album, Black City.
This is his press release.
"Matthew Dear’s Black City can’t be found on any map. It’s a composite, an imaginary metropolis peopled by desperate cases, lovelorn souls, and amoral motives. Like most literary Gothams, Black City is a place to love and hate, as seedy as a nightclub’s back room and as seductive as the promise of power. Matthew Dear, the musician, may live in New York City, but the Matthew Dear of Black City inhabits a sound-world unlike any other: a monument to the shadowy side of urban life that bumps and creaks, shudders and wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. Black City is Matthew Dear’s third album on Ghostly International, and it’s his darkest and most engrossing work to date."
The title track and lead off single is super catchy and disco-esque.
This is his press release.
"Matthew Dear’s Black City can’t be found on any map. It’s a composite, an imaginary metropolis peopled by desperate cases, lovelorn souls, and amoral motives. Like most literary Gothams, Black City is a place to love and hate, as seedy as a nightclub’s back room and as seductive as the promise of power. Matthew Dear, the musician, may live in New York City, but the Matthew Dear of Black City inhabits a sound-world unlike any other: a monument to the shadowy side of urban life that bumps and creaks, shudders and wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. Black City is Matthew Dear’s third album on Ghostly International, and it’s his darkest and most engrossing work to date."
The title track and lead off single is super catchy and disco-esque.
Little People (Black City)
Soil to Seed is a slower, soulful yet sleezy strut through some hood of his Black City.
And Slowdance, the crowning achievement of Black City.
Accompanying the release of Black City is 100 Black City 'totems' that embody the concept albums' simultaneous political and personal orientations and show off Dear's overarching thoughtfulness.
"Each MDBC [Matthew Dear Black City] Totem is inscribed with a unique four-character suffix that will allow users access a private page on matthewdear.com, where Black City may be streamed in its entirety from any web-accessed computer, or downloaded. Owners of the totem will also receive an exclusive track, not previously available on the standard album release. Unlike current delivery methods, the totem is a physical format for cloud-based listening, an acknowledgment of two seemingly irreconcilable notions: the need for a tangible representation of music and a future in which music utterly ethereal."
Buy Black City on iTunes or Whatpeopleplay
Post-Script
Three nice remixes from Matthew Dear.
The XX - VCR (Matthew Dear Remix)
Charlotte Gainsbourge - Time of the Assassins (Mathew Dear Remix)
Spoon - Don't you Eva (Matthew Dear Remix) (Mediafire)
Matthew Dear.com
Matthew Dear on Myspace
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