November 9, 2012
Stubborn Heart – ‘Stubborn Heart’
Melancholic vocals split awkwardly over oddly syncopated drum sounds
6 / 10
You don’t tend to think of post-dubstep as having also-rans. But just as Britpop needed Menswear and the new rock revolution needed Jet, so Mount Kimbie et al need London-via-Oxford’s Stubborn Heart. This is a chilling record, as melancholic vocals split awkwardly over oddly syncopated drum sounds. At times, like on the perfectly understated ‘To Catch A Spark’, it can take your breath away. But for the most part it lacks either the experimentation of James Blake or the pop sensibilities of SBTRKT. Either this is the stepping stone to something magical, or they’ll end up bottom of the bill on the post-dubstep package tour of 2035.
Sam Wolfson
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