With U

After being so incidental in the great Witch House Blowup/Blowout of '10, the only 'angle I'd bother talking about these days is Tri Angle Records. They've been putting out some fantastic albums, but it's their latest release, Holy Other's With U EP, that shines brightest in this dark realm. The five tracks would fit comfortably next to fellow label-mates oOoOO or Balam Acab, but also just as comfortably next to Burial. It's the touches of house and dubstep (or post-dubstep if you like, but I've always found 'post' anything to be a bit of a goofy idea) that bring this Manchester producers work to another level. 'Touch', one of his most popular tracks, is the perfect example of this: yes, the soulful vocals are chopped and pitch-shifted, but they're backed by some hard-slapping beats and layers of spectral bass haunting the background. The mood is one of emerging from a void, crawling out of the dark and embracing the world again. The title track snaps and claps its way up, liquid smooth and glossy with pitched vocals all heavy sex, soft-S&M R&B that drips into the twinkly hopefulness of 'Feel Something'. An injection of sungaze slides into the main, the culmination of a gradual acceptance of sorrow, the emergence of a stronger persona. Because this is not music to sit around feeling depressed to; save that for your high school studyhall. These are slow jams that celebrate life without ignoring the loss that comes with it. Existence is the trial of carbon, but the sun also rises, kids. Play this just before dawn.