Now that the (crystal) dust has finally settled and all the
rave reviews, whose opinions we share, have been written
Red Cup would like to zero-in on our favorite track from the album that
we had warned you early on would be huge. Rustie's "Glass Swords" long player as a whole is quite an accomplishment and you can read all about it almost everywhere these days. While the early release single "
All Nite" hinted at the album's greatness, "Glass Swords'" third track "Surph" surpasses all expectations. In fact, all of what we think of this track is also relevant to the rest of the album sporadically, but "Surph" combines all these elements into one near pefect song.
Dubstep only servers as a loose canvas or framework for "Surph" and by no means straightjackets its sound palette. The track starts off with a trancey stab sequence that would turn off most elitists of the aforementioned genre, only before introducing the crispiest snare and the punchiest kick we've heard from a
Warp artist since fellow Glascowian
Hudson Mohawke. While the stabs continue throughout the track, they are joined by pitched and mangled vocals (
of an R&B origin no doubt processed voices of Rustie himself and
Nightwave) and a sawtooth bassline highlighting the kick's thud. Finally, the end of the track Rustie introduces a simple yet audacious melodic synth hook, right at the front of the mix, that brings to mind the thrill of first hearing
The Prodigy's "
No Good (Start the Dance)" or the keytar solo on
Daft Punk's "
Digital Love". The whole affair is a wonderfully refreshing cure to the minimalist plague on electronic music, that has all too often been used as a cover for lack of ideas. Rustie's sound is plethoric and proud, over the top for a reason. Rustie's "Glass Swords" is the deep fried Mars bar of electronic music. Listen to our favorite track "Surph" below and order the album
here:
