With Love
The length of this project (33 tracks!) declares that *With Love* is a \"major\" work from a rave-to-dubstep producer who\'s never been shy of ambition. Yet just as Zomby\'s public persona is never easy or obvious, the music he presents thrives on how subtly it absorbs the atmosphere, how quickly the more substantial tracks fade into the ether, and how easily they may be misunderstood for the gateway tracks that atmospherically bridge the gaps. Or, more likely, that\'s what the London-based producer has in mind. Blurring the lines between what\'s important and what\'s minor is exactly what *With Love* does on a consistent scale. \"Ascension\" never reaches the minute mark, clocking out at 59 seconds when it\'s gracelessly interrupted by the sci-fi warp of \"Horrid.\" The inspired tinkering behind \"Orion\" suggests an intent longer than a minute and change, yet it sits tucked between the luxuriously paced \"Memories\" and the compact doom of \"Overdose.\" The point here is to never overlook a moment and accept that the best may be the ones to disappear all too soon. Much as with life itself.
Zomby's third album (and second for 4AD) is a two-disc set of short, nimble tracks loosely divided by attitude: "tough" on disc one, "contemplative" on disc two. With Love veers sharply from rhythmic duress to stoned calm, proving a reckless and inattentive immersive experience.
Zomby continues to boldly push the electronic scene forward while also joyously celebrating its fitful past.
With Love isn't necessarily a more ambitious release than Zomby's first album for 4AD.
Excepting its mammoth run-time, With Love feels similar in both form and execution to Zomby's previous album, Dedication. This time the shadows are a little deeper, perhaps; the tone almost wistful on occasion – in fact, the overall effect of the music can almost be likened to a grime/house/hardcore-centric approximation of James Kirby's work as The Caretaker, as the listener is presented with a hypnotic patchwork of looped memories and abstracted feelings.
Enthusiastic enigma and Twitter provocateur Zomby has never had to rely on anything more than his considerable production chops to get the attention of the media and record-buying public.
As befits an artist signed to the 4AD label, Zomby maintains a mysterious and anonymous public profile.