James Holden - The Inheritors
Critic Score
Based on 22 reviews
2013 Ratings: #82 / 1115
Year End Rank: #44
User Score
Based on 109 ratings
2013 Rank: #214
Liked by 6 people
June 17, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
IDM / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
The 405

The Inheritors builds on his remarkable debut - it's even more ambitious in scope, grabbing the listener by the throat and refusing to let go; a 75-minute epic that works incredibly well as an album.

90
Resident Advisor

Forged from single takes on his modular synth with no overdubs, The Inheritors has the blurry, delirious effect of an eighty-minute heatstroke.

85
The Line of Best Fit

The deception, though, lies not in juxtaposition, but in slight-of-hand – the slow build of Holden’s production is at times so subtle that he can bend reality to his will.

82
Pitchfork

After dozens of listens, The Inheritors still feels like it could fall off the rails at any moment, that its wires could trip and the whole album devolve into a mess of feedback that will have you racing to unplug your speakers.

80
Drowned in Sound

It is beautiful, ethereal and organic, breathing with life and is as far removed from the clean overly produced dance music which he holds in such distain. 

80
FACT Magazine

As tempting as it is to pooh-pooh Holden’s overblown ambitions, in The Inheritors he really has created an album of striking originality, and one whose more excessive aspects feel largely justified.

80
Consequence of Sound

The Inheritors jumps and squeals and writhes and blossoms. It’s music that you can’t help but hear as if you were a kid again.

80
musicOMH

The Inheritors is a rich and vivid work that is as mysterious as it is compelling.

70
DIY

What you’re left with is a record just like James Holden’s machines – a glorious mix of the human and machine where you don’t know what you’re going to get until it happens.

Hexo
79

A step in a more explicitly IDM and progressive direction.
The Inheritors falls short of Holden's debut in many ways, but by far chief among them is cohesiveness. It took me several tracks in to realize the concept that he was aiming for here, and even after that point I felt like some of the tracks just didn't flow together all that well. Nonetheless this still has its fair shair of bops on it and I still recommend checking it out.

JayCrackers
73

The first 4 tracks were great but after that the album starts to lose my focus and attention and it just isn't as textured and details as it was in the beginning expect for a few highlights. Still a nice little IDM record but it could of been a lot more for me.

Track Review

Rannoch Dawn 8/10
||: A Circle Inside a Circle Inside :|| 8.5/10
Renata 8.5/10
The Caterpillar's Intervention 8/10
Sky Burial 7/10
The Illuminations 7/10
Inter-city 125 6.5/10
Delabole 7/10
Seven Stars 6.5/10
Gone Feral ... read more

TheRootBoy
59

An assortment of wackiness with no real strengths in mind. Nothing is inherently awful, but nothing was able to connect for me.

Hexo
79

A step in a more explicitly IDM and progressive direction.
The Inheritors falls short of Holden's debut in many ways, but by far chief among them is cohesiveness. It took me several tracks in to realize the concept that he was aiming for here, and even after that point I felt like some of the tracks just didn't flow together all that well. Nonetheless this still has its fair shair of bops on it and I still recommend checking it out.

holsgr
70

notable (★★★★☆)

Normanalee
87

This album contains some strikingly original electronic tracks in 1st half. And main reason why i was interested this album was a fantastic track "Solstice" which always will be his best track but unfortunately which wasn't included in any his album, that's I find very strange. Still "Inheritors" a good anyway and worth to listen .

Rannoch Dawn. 96.
||: A Circle Inside A Circle Inside :|| . 92.
Renata. 95.
The Caterpillar's Intervention .86.
Sky Burial . 75.
The ... read more

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Added on: June 16, 2013