Mount Kimbie – Crooks and Lovers

Amongst all the types of electronic music there is to choose from, the umbrella of that aforementioned genre has to be the most wide of all? Maybe not, when you think of different kinds of jazz, maybe SO when you really get down to it. I mean, for every shade of dupstep we have post-dubstep, where there is techno, there is minimal techno, then there’s dance music and then IDM (intelligent dance music), so where does it end? How much of it matters too? I find myself wondering what does it all matter anyways as long as the music is good!

For whatever it is, Crooks & Lovers is British duo’s Mount Kimbie’s sole LP (rumors say they are working on a new one) and it is a fantastic blend of electronic music. Close friends with dupstep/post-dubstep extraordinaire James Blake, this kind of music is what most closely represents post-dubstep for many people. And no, this isn’t your Skrillex or whatever dubstep some may like, this is tons better ha! So Mount Kimbie dress their beats with inaudible vocals and sleeker backdropping lines that aren’t nearly as heavy on the actual bass. This album was sort of a revelation and is still getting much talk now, and with a lot of electronic music I’ve been playing lately (Junior Boys, Fever Ray, The Knife, LCD Soundsystem) I thought I’d share this one. Here is “Before I Move Off” with soft, pedaling synths and a keyboard pattern that shadows the ominous dark layers of atmosphere. The music is lush and gorgeously rendered with a terrific pace: the back and forth ebb and flow of the music is sublime.


The ruby is the birthstone for the month I was born in and it’s a very beautiful stone if you ask me – a member of the four ‘precious’ stones. On “Ruby” the duo contrasts a darker ambience that’s almost like Burial in shade but with a consistent drive, the beats are swift. One of the many strengths of the album is the way the diversity of the songs compliment the actual sequencing: the fusion of electronic sounds on here are subtle and understated but very awesome. And while “Ruby” shifts in and out of focus, Mount Kimbie show off their skills. The beats are scattered about and the atmospheres are once again cloudy. Here’s that song:


And finally, here’s “Mayor.” Something about mentioning three songs just felt right. This one has much more of an upbeat feel with female vocals manipulated throughout and the beats sounding cozily warm – the funky drive at the end is almost Stevie Wonder-esque and all the while, electronic. There’s an array of sounds that come in and out, the focus always remaining on the sheer aesthetic feel of it all. And in the end, that’s what should really matter. Crooks & Lovers has a gorgeous sound embedded deep within and here’s to more electronic music of the same. – Bryan