We’re getting new material from Torontonian Matt Nish-Lapidus when the two sevens clash later this week. He’s recorded a splendid five-track EP for the Forking Paths label under the brand name New Tendencies.
You may be familiar with other recordings under emenel and mn-l. He’s also one-third of art-rock band Several Futures.
If you haven’t had the pleasure, this is an artist who a year ago released the extraordinary Music from Airplanes (an album that – if it hasn’t been already – should be Drop Boxed to Brian Eno posthaste). Recorded live on flight SK3808 between Toronto and Copenhagen, Lapidus produced a beautiful record that consists entirely of ambient sounds recorded on the plane.
All of that is to say this is an artist who allows himself little downtime.
The new EP is another winner. “Monday 1” begins the proceedings with rubber-band synth lines and a beat you cannot follow. Up next is “Thursday.” More complicated beats lend this one an almost-glitch feel. It’s smoother and cleaner than more conventional tracks in the genre, but it’s every bit as engaging.
“Monday 2” features a similar complexity.
“Sunday” is the disc’s longest effort, at 11 minutes and change. It’s a more conventional drone/ambient piece. Lapidus has added a layer of distortion that contrasts with the other tracks’ clarity. It rounds out the disc nicely.
It is a little disconcerting that there are two Mondays in Lapidus’ five-day week. Far be it from me though to question an artist who finds inspiration in a cramped metal tube over the Atlantic Ocean.