Iglooghost - Tidal Memory Exo
Another innovative left hook from the UK Glitch-Pop producer, as the cover implies, leaves us drowning on the dance floor!
Iglooghost is an artist whose work I've been following for quite some time, ever since he dropped his critically acclaimed debut album Neo Wax Bloom onto Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder Records, and today, it remains one of the most chaotic electronic projects within my rotation. The blasting bass beats over some bubblegum pop and glitch aesthetics make his music equally enthralling and adrenaline-pumping. Basically, if you never heard his sound before, imagine ADHD but in music form, for lack of a better explanation.
However, everything since the debut has been a bit hit or miss for me. Igloo followed up the album a year later with the Clear Tamei/Steel Mogu EPs, both sides of which had much of the same elements as their counterpart, making it difficult to distinguish between the two. Then XYZ with collaboration from BaBII and Kai Whiston is more of a compilation between three minds that didn't have a whole ton of staying power with me after my first spin. And then on his last release, Lei Line Eon in 2021, the combination of his controlled-chaotic sound mixed in with more traditional electronic pop melodies was a nice change of pace for the moment it came out, but never made too much of an impact on me, as the record suffered a bit from I guess being more subtle, and therefore less engaging.
But, this new experiment on Tidal Memory Exo takes a different step for Igloo's catalog once again. While I've loved a great deal of his past material, I didn't necessarily think that any of it was all that danceable. That is, however, not the case for this album, as Igloo's sound is directly inspired by deconstructed club music, and he uses this genre to effectively backdrop his trademark glitchy sound into something that feels original and refreshing for his catalog. The tracks on here are more straightforward structurally, but unlike the progressive song structures on his last album, every idea flawlessly flows within the club background and makes for a wholistic experience that is deeply eclectic and head-bobbing, without losing any of the controlled chaos that made his previous endeavors shine.
Igloo's voice appears on every single track, which I can usually give or take, but here it works and the deadpan, almost faint delivery works as a main guiding light for the album, one in which if you don't choose to pay much attention to it, it still works within the progression between tracks. That could potentially be an Achilles heel for the album if by chance the rapping from him becomes too samey for the listener to get something out of, but it's not a huge problem for me. The way he's able to guide his voice throughout a diversity of disordered and distorted club bangers while still making the songs worthwhile is an accomplishment within itself.
This album, while nothing groundbreaking for bubblegum bass or even the most deconstructed club, is a quality achievement within the genre and can easily be a grower for me for dance album of the year. I think the tracks on here, while not quite on the same par as the best moments on Neo Wax Bloom, are incredibly catchy and I would be very surprised if any of these songs aren't playing at late-night raves within the next few months. Iglooghost's foray into club music never feels stranger to his diehard fans, and I'm excited to see what else Igloo formulates if he goes further down this dance route drenching listeners along the way.
Favorite Tracks: New Species, Alloy Flea, Coral Mimic, Flux•Cocoon, Nemat0de, Germ Chrism
Least Favorite: Blue Hum
7.5/10
