Staff Reviews

Clark - Totems Flare

Review by Thom Gibbs

Some musicians are in it for the long haul. Their art pours out of them via cathartic necessity rather than any obligation or ulte»

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chris clark returns with the much anticipated follow up to 'body riddle' and 'turning dragon'! 'totems flare' - will be sure to blow your mind, an album that his last ep 'growl's garden' only hinted at, in terms of potential. eight years, five albums, untold ep tracks and stints living in brighton, birmingham and berlin later, clark's sound is more developed than ever - 'totems flare' is an elegant meeting of past and present sounds. chris sees 'body riddle' (2006), 'turning dragon' (2008) and 'totems flare' (2009) as forming a trilogy. these albums have seen a steady and clear progression, from the baroque melodics of 'body riddle' through the hard techno drive of 'turning dragon' to 'totems flare', which combines the key qualities of both into yet another huge leap forward. the increase in ambition, scale and panache of 'totems flare' is as big as that which 'body riddle' represented, and early reactions suggest the public response could be at least as significant. and, vitally, this further leap forward came naturally.
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