This year’s Forbidden Fruit line-up may be a whole lot beefier than last year’s, but if the Royal Hospital-based festival’s inaugural year was anything to go by it’s the synthier side of the bill that will go down best. The most pivotal moment of 2011’s June Bank Holiday show was Caribou’s Dan Snaith parting the clouds like Moses splits waves during the seminal ‘Sun’.
Actress – Caves of Paradise
Obfuscated though it might be, there’s a bleary ecstasy to Actress’ recent album R.I.P. Caves of Paradise is the moment when it comes to the fore, its irresistible deep-house hook rising above the waterline. If you’re confused as to how one of London’s darkest producers might work at 5 in the afternoon, Paradise is your answer.
Factory Floor – R E A L L O V E
Nik Colk Void’s rejuvenating contributions to this year’s sublime Transverse live album release from old hands Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti is testament to Factory Floor’s potency as a live act. On display earlier in the year (our last ever Tripod show), FF are a battering ram swinging at the doors of oblivion. Unrelenting and gothic as their sound is, there’s an accessibility to their live show – think early DFA crossed with power electronics and you’re there. The trio’s REALLOVE was their earlier Dublin date’s highlight. Enter the void.
Grimes – Vowels = Space and Time
Grimes currently exists in that transient stage of wide critical acclaim with no backlash. Claire Boucher successfully crossed over by marrying some of the core values of the last ten years of North American art electronica to pop structures and hooks on Visions, while never seeming disingenuous. Oblivion might be the big hitter, but Vowels still stands, for us, as the album’s best moment. And don’t spend the weekend telling everybody you prefer her earlier stuff.
The Field – Is This Power
Axel Willner’s position as the one techno lad you know if you’re an indie lad makes sense. A blind listening test might result in guesses at My Bloody Valentine with Is This Power, the awfully-titled album Looping State Of Mind’s finest 8 minutes. His formula of thundering basslines and watery, broken orchestral loops gets it right every time. It might be his zillionth time in Dublin, but there’s a reason we keep flying him in.
Chromatics – Kill For Love
We’ve written so many words about the new Chromatics masterpiece that if this is your first time listening to its title track, you’re not really our friend anymore and we’ll skip you in the queue for a Pear Bulmers if we see you.
