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.
Forged from single takes on his modular synth with no overdubs, The Inheritors has the blurry, delirious effect of an eighty-minute heatstroke.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Inheritors is a rich and vivid work that is as mysterious as it is compelling.
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.
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.
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
An assortment of wackiness with no real strengths in mind. Nothing is inherently awful, but nothing was able to connect for me.
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.
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
1 | Rannoch Dawn 4:25 | |
2 | : A Circle Inside a Circle Inside : 6:09 | |
3 | Renata 5:57 | |
4 | The Caterpillar's Intervention 4:04 | |
5 | Sky Burial 4:26 | |
6 | The Illuminations 3:13 | |
7 | Inter-City 125 5:29 | |
8 | Delabole 3:44 | |
9 | Seven Stars 5:49 | |
10 | Gone Feral 6:23 | |
11 | The Inheritors 4:54 | |
12 | Circle of Fifths 3:02 | |
13 | Some Respite 4:30 | |
14 | Blackpool Late Eighties 8:38 | |
15 | Self-Playing Schmaltz 4:46 |
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