- Over the past five years, south Londoner David Andrew Hedges has released two albums of intense, abrasive electronica that referenced, among others, Liars and Einstürzende Neubauten. He returns after a two year-plus hiatus with a release for MMW1 and Federal Prism, the label set up by TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek, an arch sonic experimentalist.
The same angst that underscored Hedges' earlier work is apparent across Exhibition, but here he trims it with a poppier edge. This gets the best out of his voice, which is in turns sweet, soaring, soulful and pleading. It's not stretching it to say that "Soul Reprise" has commercial appeal, a noisy essence of Depeche Mode that stomps to the accompaniment of sledgehammer kicks and angular guitar. "A World I Didn't Know" indulges in coldwave revivalism, progressing in glacial fashion with disturbing black synths and dramatic beats that merely serve to highlight the trembling fragility of Hedges' voice.
Hedges has pinpointed the vibrancy of the tougher strands of techno as his most recent inspiration, and this is most readily apparent on "Zulu Bash," a clattering train ride through steely synths, rat-a-tat snares and fuzzy bass. It's hyper-emotive and, like the rest of Exhibition, highly sophisticated, too.
Tracklist01. Soul Reprise
02. A World I Didn't Know
03. Zulu Bash
04. A World I Didn't Know (Vatican Shadow Remix)
05. Zulu Bash (Front 242-Scarmix)
06. Zulu Bash (Raudive Remix)
07. Soul Reprise (Rejuvenate Mix)