Amon Tobin - Bloodstone Single Review

Amon Tobin
Bloodstone
Single Review

You know when you hear some music that's like the missing piece in the puzzle that is your music collection.Yeah? Not only that, but you find out who its by, and it's someone you've overlooked for some time?? Well, this just happened to me.and the reason? Amon Tobin. The prolific Canadian, Ninja Tune whiz-kid, who, as well as a plethora of great albums behind him, has also scored a soundtrack to a computer game, Tom Clancy's 'Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory', and was one of the first artists to play a gig in 5:1 surround sound. Well here he is with a taster of what's to come.

'Bloodstone', the first of the three great tracks, opens like the soundtrack to some eerie horror film about clowns. The macabre layers of strings, supplied by the brilliant Kronos Quartet.it's not long now until the soul shredding beat kicks in.Ouch. The ripping texture of the beat is aurally incredible, and sounds something like I imagine it sounds when insects start a band. 'Esther's' is a masterpiece. Starting again with a ghostlike waltz, the atmosphere, at first is not dissimilar to 'Bloodstone', however, this feel is quickly dissolved by the heavy mechanical purr of a motorbike. This tune quickly builds into a sound akin to the rumble of Satan's stomach and is soon accompanied by an industrial beat, than simply continues to build to a serene roar. 'Here Comes The Moon Man', a track that was written for avant guarde Hungarian short film 'Taxedermia'. This track is possibly the more relaxed of the tracks, but don't think that means it's a chillout track by any stretch of the imagination, it's chock full of the same deep dark elements the rest of them are.

Tobin's musical development is hard to ignore as he has made his way from a regular Ninja Tune signing, to one of the most innovative and interesting artists on the label's roster. If you know what's good for you you'll go out and get his new album 'Foley Room' when it hits shelves later this year.

-Thom Holmes