Agoria ‘Impermanence’

Agoria / ‘Impermanence’

CD / Digital

Infine Music / Released February 7th 2011

Opening with Kiss My Soul, the mesmerising beauty of vocalist Kid A is such that you could be forgiven for thinking this was her own LP. But, even if that were the case, you’d still be wondering who was responsible for the sublime piano composition in the background.

So here we are then, faced with the fourth album from a French production talent that needs no real introduction. And it’s precisely the meld of powerhouse beats, sonic vista melodies and classical arrangements one would expect, given Agoria’s previous outings. Whether that’s the melancholic keys, strings and stepping rhythm of Grande Torino, or the Cathedral filling chords and euphoric build of Panta Rei.

There’s been plenty of talk about some of the other collaborations on here, with Seth Troxler’s whispered outing, Souless Dreamer, obviously grabbing plenty of the limelight. And a bumbling, bass-heavy, seductively deep journey it is too. But we’d probably prefer to comment on the dubby, sleazy, grinding and wholly suggestive Speechless, which sees Carl Craig telling the listener he wants to eat them all up, after he drinks whiskey from their belly-button.

While it’s difficult to argue against the first track being the most memorable, given the fact that it stays with you forever after, the ambundence of highlights that make up Impermanence certainly ensure fans won’t be disappointed. Straddling home-listening and dancefloor rarely sounds this good, as the downbeat tribalism of Under the River proves when it dissipates into the white-noise filled techno alarm bell that is Little Shamen. In turn, we’re then treated to the blissful ambience of Under The River, before the anthemic, jazz-inspired closer Libellules finishes the job properly. Polished as ever, and wholly unique, it’s a rare thing indeed to find such personality amidst the current, saturated climate.


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