Wonder Where We Land

by SBTRKT

Overview

Complain that SBTRKT's sophomore effort wanders too much -- in search of what it means to be "post-dubstep" -- and it's an argument worth putting up for debate. The London producer's second album jumps genres with abandon and nothing sorts itself sensibly until after a couple listens, plus the one- or two-note interludes feel like disingenuous bridges throw up at the last minute. The album sorts itself after a handful of listens, or just a couple for those who adore the producer's musical palette (think of the dark space between the underground Burial and the more aboveground Trentemoller), but the big win for SBTRKT is that these songs are worth latching onto, including the title track where R&B vocalist Sampha declares "impermanence is so permanently with me," thus stating the album's flights-of-fancy theme. With "Problem (Solved)," that fancy is creating an R&B, pop-and-lock ballad with the murky Hyperdub set in mind, while "Voices in My Head" with A$AP Ferg is cloud rap-jazz with all the off-kilter beats and smoked-out lyrics that infers. When Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig joins for "New Dorp. New York.," indie dance is brought into the mist as if LCD Soundsystem did downers exclusively, and while the track is a new kind of swagger that satisfies, it's another dark dip into the album's endless cavern of maudlin. Good chance newcomers will fall for the singles and be frustrated by the perceived filler, but that's the biggest fault with Wonder Where; it could be more persuasive and open. On the other hand, predisposed listeners will actually be primed for such a slow and sad journey, and will welcome such a "follow the music" attitude, even when the lyrics and moods always seem to land on "pensive." ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	10/07/2014
Label:	Young Turks
UPC:	0889030012012

Tracks

1. Day 1
2. Wonder Where We Land
3. Lantern
4. Higher
5. Day 5
6. Look Away
7. Osea
8. Temporary View
9. New Dorp New York
10. Everybody Knows
11. Problem (Solved)
12. If it Happens
13. Gon Stay
14. The Light
15. Voices in My Head

Album Credits

Performance Credits

SBTRKT   Primary Artist,Piano,Prophet 5,Oberheim Obxa,Oberheim Synthesizer
Tic   Primary Artist
A$AP Ferg   Featured Artist,Vocals
Denai Moore   Vocals,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Anisa Arslanagic   Strings
Bipolar Sunshine   Vocals (Background)
Andrew Ashong   Bass,Guitar,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Max Ruisi   Strings
Raury   Featured Artist,Vocals
Bea Philips   Strings
Bex Gardiner   Strings
Boogie   Alto (Vocals),Featured Artist,Featured Artist,Featured Artist
Isla Mundell-Perkins   Strings
James Holdom   Drums
Rayna Ferner   Strings
Theresa Wayman   Prophet Synthesizer
Sergio Serra   Strings
Stella Mozgawa   Drums
Ezra Koenig   Vocals,Featured Artist
Emily Kokal   Vocals
Jenny Lee Lindberg   Bass (Electric)
Daniel Swan   Rendering
Jenn Alexander   Strings
Warpaint   Featured Artist
Sampha   Piano,Vocals,Featured Artist
Jessie Ware   Vocals,Featured Artist
Caroline Polachek   Piano,Vocals,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Koreless   Prophet 5,Oberheim Obxa,Featured Artist,Oberheim Synthesizer

Technical Credits

A$AP Ferg   Lyricist,Composer
Denai Moore   Composer,Lyricist
Andrew Ashong   Composer
Bridget Samuels   Composer
Tic   Composer
Raury   Lyricist,Composer
Aaron Rhodes   Photography
Boogie   Composer
James Holdom   Composer
Lucas Haas   Engineer
Rupert Coulston   String Engineer
A Hidden Place   Design,Artwork
Blue-Zoo   Design
Lucas Hass   Engineer
Warpaint   Composer
Aaron Jerome   Composer
Ezra Koenig   Composer,Lyricist
Vlado Meller   Mastering
Emily Kokal   Composer
Stephen Sedgwick   Engineer
Matt Colton   Mastering
Sampha   Engineer,Lyricist,Programming
SBTRKT   Mixing,Artwork,Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Lyricist,Musician,Producer,Music Actuator,Instrumentation
Samur Khouja   Engineer
Jeremy Lubsey   Assistant
Jessie Ware   Composer,Lyricist
Caroline Polachek   Composer,Lyricist
Koreless   Composer
Ben Baptie   Engineer
Sampha Sisay   Composer