Amazon.com
Tech man Matthew Dear has spent the last several years dipping his toes into pop, and while
Asa Breed doesn't exactly dive into the deep end, it gets Dear pretty well soaked. Initially associated with the
Richie Hawtin school of Detroit minimalism, he's been diversifying his sound over the course of his prolific recorded output (he also records under the names Jabberjaw and False, among others) since at least 2003's
Leave Luck to Heaven. But
Breed is more song-oriented and accessible than anything else he's released, even as it rolls out the sharp-edged studio craft that has built Dear's reputation as a producer. Songs like "Pom Pom" are fractured new wave flashbacks while short and seemingly simple songs like "Death to Feelers" get deeply ambient, revealing new layers with repeated listens. Another trick that helps soften the record is the work done on Dear's droning baritone. An acquired taste at best, he wisely chose to give it a sharper electro edge, mixing it up in a Nick-Cave-meets-Gary Numan way as his lyrics bounce between nonsensical and sarcastic. Stripped down and largely acoustic songs like "Midnight Lovers" and "Vine to Vine" only add minimal effects, letting Dear's weird words drive the music forward. While some fans hoping for a proper DJ record might be disappointed,
Asa Breed is clearly the work of a man who wants little or nothing to do with what's expected.
--Matthew Cooke