Autre Ne Veut

Age of Transparency

Age of Transparency is heady and dizzying, even more unpleasant than Anxiety at times, but it’s keyed in to the zeitgeist in a way that feels genuine, constructive even.

Age of Transparency is as emotionally compelling and musically creative a work as has been released this year.

Rather than employing variety for variety’s sake, the album has a closed-eyes naturalism to it that must, surely, come from an artist channelling something real.

While the electronica can occasionally become an abrasive racket on parts of Age of Transparency, Ashin’s singing serves as a reminder of human melody and soul.

Age of Transparency is that rare record that manages astonishing density without ever feeling crowded.

That’s why the new Age of Transparency is his best album yet, because he makes good on a full-length’s worth of the aural dares of the epic “Play by Play”.

Anxiety dressed up Ashin's neuroses in glossy textures, while Age Of Transparency lets them writhe all over the floor. Like his live show, it's thrilling, confusing and uncomfortable in equal measure.

However much we may applaud the intent and delivery of the themes, there aren’t many of us who are able to use that as a platform to actually enjoy the music for what it is.

His lyrics remain simple and poignant, but some of what surprised us on Anxiety has lost its newness here. The sudden moments of rapture–the ones that that pushed through layers of electronic ambience–remain, but are less frequent and more predictable.