First Listen: Six Cups of Rebel by Lindstrøm

The big release for me this week is "Six Cups of Rebel" from Lindstrøm, and i’m happy to say it’s fantastic. It's been four years since his last full solo LP "Where You Go I Go Too". Thankfully there have been plenty of collaborative efforts, EPs and singles in between, but it's all left me craving a full album.

“Music for fools to dance to, that’s what daddy called it!”

The album opens with “No Release”. A flurry of church organs churn together creating a vibrant start that seems like an announcement of the albums arrival. This builds and builds pushing up the tension until finally it breaks into “De Javu” which has all the satisfaction you could ask for. The bass line alone gives welcomed stability and the whole thing is reminiscent of that late 90’s dance sound that plagued the charts. However, in Lindstrøm’s hands the sound has a completely different feel. The album is packed with artificial samples that scream pop! and almost all of them transcend their point of reference.  

"Six Cups of Rebel" is packed with this formula. Building tension and putting the listener on edge before delivering some much needed satisfaction and for me it’s what makes it so successful. This is most noticeable on “All I Want Is A Quiet Place To Live” where even the titular lyrics work against the pounding build of unease. This is an upbeat dance track slowly moving further and further off kilter until finally letting up with “Call Me Anytime” however this time we are treated to an almost jazz like freak-out introduction. After the repetitive nature of the previous track this is a refreshing dose, never settling on an idea, constantly changing as if scanning through radio channels trying to find the right music to fit your mood. After about 3 minutes it does, and works into a series of layered loops, with constant additions and adjustment with every phrase. This track is all about the subtlety and the details for me, and stands out as the album's highlight. It draws comfort from the steady deadened kick drum before shooting off in a new direction with slight adjustments in pace and tempo. The 9-minute plus running time flies past and I’m immediately ready to listen again. I think this is a true example of context though, with its position on the album playing a key role in its success.

It ends with “Hinda”, another exercise in building intensity, with each element getting lost or stuck in its own little loop. It grows and evolves until finally breaking and falling away to leave the original organ that introduced the album.

Throughout the record there is a constant use of vocal samples, sometimes literal, sometimes abstract, and often with reversed and clipped reverbs used to great effect creating alternative rhythms and colouring the sound. This album is all about variance and textures and I think these songs work best when listened to in a collective form. 

This is a stunning piece of work and possibly Lindstrøm’s best LP to date. You can get the double LP here and listen to "De Javu" below as well as a remix by Emerald’s Mark McGuire.