Chris Clark - Clarence Park

by Mark Rowland

published: 17 / 12 / 2001

Label: Warp Records
Format: CD

This, the debut release from the newest edition to the Warp roster, is at barely thirty minutes long one of the shortest Warp releases you're ever likely to come across. Thankfully, its also one of t

Review

This, the debut release from the newest edition to the Warp roster, is at barely thirty minutes long one of the shortest Warp releases you're ever likely to come across. Thankfully, its also one of the most beautiful. And the most ugly. And the most varied. Created entirely on broken equipment, with tracks ranging from the minimalist piano of 'Pleen 1930's' and the looming menace of 'The Dogs', to the stuttering upbeat techno of 'Proper lo-fi' and the shameless cheesiness of 'Lord of the Dance', 'Clarence Park' has something for everybody. One thing that is present throughout is a sense of human warmth, which is essentially what gives this album its appeal. Even dark tracks like 'The Chase' have an underlying feeling of humanity that sets it apart from most post-Aphex albums, and the album title, 'Clarence Park' is named after a real park in St Albans, where Clark lives. The one thing that really lets 'Clarence Park' down is the length of the tracks, which in some cases leaves good ideas under-developed. This is a small disappointment, however, on an almost faultless album.

Track Listing:-

1 The Dogs
2 Proper Loft
3 Oaklands
4 Bricks
5 Emw
6 A Laugh with Hills
7 The Chase
8 Lord of the Dance
9 Caveman Lament
10 Fossol Paste
11 Diesel Raven
12 Shrewland
13 Nostalgic Oblong