While the mysterious and ghostly dubstep mastermind Burial has been relatively silent for the past couple of years, his influence permeated some of the most interesting releases of 2010. Among those releases are my two picks for ep of the year; James Blake's "Klavierwerke" and Forest Swords' "Dagger Paths." Each draw upon Burial's striped-down dubstep rhythms, disembodied vocals and grimy but gauzy atmospherics, while at the same time explore unmarked territory. Blake's ep recalls The Books at their best. "Klavierwerke" is soulful, moving and melancholy, yet life-affirming throughout. Take the phenomenal "I Only Know (What I Know Now);" the track features subtle to the point of silent beats that peculate underneath piano samples, which are punctuate by what sounds like the skeletal traces of a gospel choir long ago released from this mortal coil. It's gorgeous stuff and quite unlike anything else this year. Forest Swords take a dirtier, more urgent approach. "Dagger Paths" is the sound of the urban jungle where races, religions and ethnic groups mix and clash in a fight to survive and maintain their own identity. This is not pretty stuff like Blake's ep, but it is a powerful, if somewhat apocalyptic take, on city life. Rather than channel in pianos and strings, Forest Swords rely on world rhythms, slithering guitars and Massive Attack style-bass to create their sonic dystopia. "Dagger Paths" is one of the most expansive and darkest releases of the year, and one that points toward greatness from Forest Swords in the future.
Forest Swords - Visits from OLDE ENGLISH SPELLING BEE on Vimeo.
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