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review by Dene Bebbington Jon Hopkins is a classically trained musician who is also in demand for screen composing, producing and re-mixing, plus he's worked with the likes of Brian Eno and Jeff Beck. Those who enjoyed Jon's excellent debut Opalescent have had their wait for another great album finally brought to an end with the release of Contact Note. This album represents a further development of his knack for creating enthralling and detailed rhythmic passages that have melody seamless sown into them in a manner that is becoming his hallmark. The album is separated into three movements, each of which consists of between three and five tracks. Starting off the first movement is the track "Circle", a classic Jon Hopkins (can I say that if this is only his second album?!) piece where assertive drum beats and insistent rhythms and melodic snippets pull the listener in. Evident on this track, and most others, is a keen attention to detail as well as the big picture. Listen beyond the egregious drum beats, guitar riffs, and the repeating melodic snatches and you'll notice plenty of other sounds in the mix. In my opinion Jon hits the musical high watermark with energetic pieces like "Circle" and "100", but he's equally at home on more restrained pieces. This is exemplified on the shortest track "Searchlight" where a simple and slightly melancholic piano melody accompanied by unobtrusive background effects provides a calming interlude. Despite this and the other laid back pieces I think that Contact Note is overall a slightly more energetic album than its forerunner. My favourite of the upbeat tracks is "100" which begs to be played loud. After a variety of syncopated sounds followed by short melodic refrains the piece bursts into life with a powerful drum beat playing alongside further melodic snatches, and eventual it is brought to a close by a brilliant staccato guitar. Unfortunately there is one track where the plot is lost. The penultimate track "Black and Red" is rather experimental, consisting of crackling, rumbling, and other weird effects. The album would have been none the worse if this piece had been left off. With Contact Note Jon has consolidated his position as a composer of blissful rhythmic ambience cum electronica that sometimes has a curious quality of being both lively and chilled out at the same time. I have no hesitation in recommending it. |
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