Andy Stott
Faith in Strangers
17 November 2014
Modern Love
5 stars out of 5
“Violence,” featuring vocals by Stott’s former piano teacher
Alison Skidmore, gets my vote for Song of the Year (Hundred Waters’ “Cavity”
drops down to #2). Beginning as a thoroughly disorienting neo-classical piece
with a tinge of goth, this monster of a track transforms into a nightmare of
industrial angst that makes Nine Inch Nails seem like indie pop. “Violence” is
worth the price of admission alone, but the rest of the record isn’t exactly
filler. “On Oath” is a fantastic apocalyptic walk through a burned-out city, an
ambient song that pokes and prods you
while remaining ambient. “Science & Industry” skitters and skips through an
inventory of sounds that resides somewhere between Kraftwerk and Cabaret
Voltaire. Throughout these tracks, the listener is subjected to an unsettling
assault by Skidmore’s vocals. She ain’t no diva; she’s more like an alien
telepath who can get right inside your head with her other-worldly, tortured ghost
of a voice. In short, Faith in Strangers
is fucking winning. Stott’s compositional confidence is at an all-time high,
and the world of electronic music is greatly enhanced by it.
reviewed by Richard Krueger
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