- Arriving last year, Rob McAndrews' debut album as Airhead seemed a touch late to its own party. McAndrews—the guitarist in James Blake's band—is a lesser-known proponent of the popwise post-dubstep sound of Blake and Mount Kimbie. The pitter-patter halftime beats and maudlin indie flourishes of For Years might have seemed unusual in 2010, but by 2013 they were sounding a little dated. As such, his latest EP is welcome. Inspired by the 1-800 DINOSAUR parties at which McAndrews is a resident alongside Blake and former R&S A&R Dan Foat, it sees him ditch the introspection in pursuit of dance floor thrills.
That said, the reinvention isn't quite as extreme as it might first seem. Yes, the title track—New York-style gospel-house with big-room ambitions and a surprisingly sharp bite—comes as a surprise. Elsewhere, though, old habits creep back in. "Hundred Years" sports weepy synth chords and a Blake-style pitchshifted rap a capella. It's nice enough but doesn't really go anywhere. "Shekure"'s vacuum-packed sonics and stumbling rhythms recall the confusion of, say, 2012's "Black Ink," though dubstep-into-house rhythms are exchanged for a take on trap-rave. "Shirin," meanwhile, pays homage to McAndrews' predecessors with a Mala-style halftime stomp. The latter two are agreeably weird, as beat tools go, but they don't get much beyond a 32 bar loop. In the past, subtlety has been McAndrews' strong point. It seems a shame for him to throw the post-dubstep baby out with the bathwater.
TracklistA1 Believe
A2 Shirin
B1 Shekure
B2 Hundred Years